


On The Edge (TaeJin)

by JeSuisDeath



Series: On The Edge - A TaeJin Supernatural Series [1]
Category: Supernatural, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Angels Becoming Humans, Falling Angels (Supernatural), Ghosts, Homophobia, Hunter Kim Namjoon | RM, Hunter Kim Taehyung | V, I can't tag anymore, Internalized Homophobia, Jin is a sweetheart, Kim Taehyung | V is Bad at Feelings, M/M, Men of Letters Bunker (Supernatural), Past Sexual Abuse, Religious Discussion, Supernatural Elements, TaeJin - Freeform, i love taejin, vjin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:20:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 23
Words: 55,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27162388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JeSuisDeath/pseuds/JeSuisDeath
Summary: Kim Seokjin moves to a town for his studies and there begins his encounters with beings beyond his knowledge.Oh. And, Kim Taehyung is pretty much Dean and Kim Namjoon is pretty much Sam.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Jeon Jungkook/Park Jimin, Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/Min Yoongi | Suga, Kim Seokjin | Jin/Kim Taehyung | V
Series: On The Edge - A TaeJin Supernatural Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1982662
Comments: 19
Kudos: 71





	1. S1 - Do you enjoy late night power cuts?

**Author's Note:**

> It's not his first night at his new place but it is the first kind of night Seokjin has.

It is past midnight.

Yet, the laptop screen continues to play the k-drama and Seokjin's tired eyes are glued to it. Another episode and he'd be done with it. The dialogues are loud enough to be audible through the earphones and if Yoongi was home, he'd be furious about it.

But he isn't. These days, it is a rare occurrence and Seokjin is itching to play the k-drama out loud in the hall. But that might mean the house owners who lived upstairs might complain about it – something about his son getting distracted. Seokjin never saw the said son. Though when he first moved in, Yoongi did tell him that the son was indeed very smart, and his parents had high expectations for him.

In the end, he decides to continue watching it on his laptop. Thunder breaks and lightning strikes like silver scars across the velvet sky but Seokjin is oblivious to it. The guy and the girl in the series are just about to confess their feelings for one another.

The lights flicker twice and turn to emergency ones only. The inverter hums to life to compensate for the power cut. The Wi-Fi that is power-dependent turns off and this finally catches the attention of Seokjin because the series stops loading.

He groans and falls back on his bed. He knows he has to be grateful for all the good things he finds in this town that he never had back in his village. But the power cuts annoy him the most. Every time, as soon as the clouds gather, the power goes off.

From his position, he stares at the paused screen. The way the guy looks in his military wear and the way the girl looks flawless despite her tears. He wonders if he too graduates as an actor, he'll look good enough to be portrayed like him. But in this huge town he doubts if anyone would glance twice at him. Everyone looks impeccable and has a stunning sense of fashion. Seokjin could only afford basic tees and jeans. His fashion statement is Poverty.

Another loud crack of thunder echoes and is followed by a rapid knocking on the front door. The combined sounds of these two are loud enough to startle Seokjin.

He hates the dark. He was always a very scared little mouse. If not for the emergency lights, Seokjin would cover himself under multiple blankets and pretend to be asleep – a way, he believes, would keep the monsters away.

But the emergency lights did exist and as they flicker lazily, he tip toes (so as to not attract any monsters) to the front door. Meanwhile, the knocking gets impatient.

One of the many things Yoongi told him is to always check who is knocking before opening the door. The house they lived in is a three-story one. The owners lived on the first and second floor and rented out the ground floor to Yoongi and Seokjin. Also, the house is a on the edge of a bankrupt community. Their house is one of the very few occupied ones. The rest are mostly vacant. It makes sense to Seokjin why the rent is cheap – no one wanted to live in a ghost community.

So, it is obvious that only Yoongi would be the coming home at this ungodly hour. Usually he has a spare key, but also usually he tends to forget about it. But Seokjin decides to play by those rules just to annoy a probably drenched Yoongi.

He giggles silently and peeks through the peephole.

He can hear the knocking – it is loud and rapid. The emergency light on the porch blinks on and off.

But there is no one on the porch.

Seokjin quickly rubs his eyes and peeks through the peephole again. This time the knocking stops and still, there is no one on the porch.

He begins to sweat despite the cold night. He clutches the silver cross that dangles on his chest. His heart begins to thump so loudly, it almost drowns the sound of the rain. Is his lack of sleep making him hallucinate? He is sure he heard the knocks – they were very loud!

He rechecks the locks and once he is sure no one could break them open he gingerly walks back to his room. As soon as he reaches his bed, the knocking resumes – but this time it is at their backdoor.

If this is an idea of a joke, then Seokjin is sure he'd murder the pranksters. But their community has no children who'd prank him – forget about having children, their community hardly has any people especially below the age of 30. All of them are retired grandparents except for a sparse few.

The knocking seems to have the same rhythm as before. And, it is loud and impatient. So loud that Seokjin is afraid the person would break the door down. He wonders if the owners would be disturbed by it and come down. That way, he wouldn't have to go check.

Unfortunately for him, no one seems to care. He pulls out his phone to call Yoongi to confirm if it is him, though he already knows Yoongi wouldn't play such awful pranks on him. Seokjin told him about his past. He told him about all his fears.

His fingers leave sweat marks on his phone screen as he tries to fumble through his short list of contacts. He clicks on Yoongi's number and waits for him to lift.

The tone plays dead. The knocking stops too. He can swear that he can hear wet footsteps of someone by his room's window. He rushes and draws the thin white curtains close. He redials Yoongi's number as he rushes back to his bed. He hugs the Mario plushie close to him and waits for the call to connect. It plays dead again.

This is another thing he hates about this house. The signals in his room are very weak. Most of the time, he has Wi-Fi and he uses that to call or text. But in times of power cut, the Wi-Fi doesn't work. The only place he gets signals would be the front porch or the kitchen at the back – both places that he has no guts to go to right now.

However, he can no longer hear the footsteps nor can hear the knocking. He assumes it is some of the stragglers – the ones that live on the other end of the community. It does not make him feel any better especially because of the crass, obscene remarks they enjoy passing at him. But better than something supernatural, right?

It is then that he hears the honk of Yoongi's rusted car. He sighs in relief. The headlights of the car throw light through his curtained window.

And, it is then that Seokjin would mark as his time of death. His heart stops.

He can now clearly see a silhouette of a woman with curled hair cascading down her shoulders at his window, facing him.

He can't see her face, but he can swear on his Mario plushie that she is looking right at him. He can feel her eyes on him.

He crawls back on the bed away from the window. The car headlights turn off and Seokjin clutches his chest. He can hear the rain shift to a soft drizzle. He can hear a street dog bark. He can hear the door click and Yoongi call out for him.

Only, beneath all these sounds he can still hear the rhythmic knocking of the door too. Like background vocals. Like they are now mixed with the sound of his own ragged breathing.

Yoongi walks in and stares at him.

"Jinnie, I thought you would be asleep. Did you eat?", he asks as he places the keys on the dressing table next to the bed.

Seokjin can't find his voice. He is still staring at the window.

"Jinnie?", Yoongi asks again, a little concerned at his usually cheery roommate's lack of response. "You okay?"

Seokjin points a shaky finger at the window. At that moment, the power comes back and the lights go on.

And, there is no one at the window.

....


	2. S1 - Do you like stalkers?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seokjin settles into his new life - kind of.

Seokjin slept next to Yoongi, much to the latter's dismay. If there was something Yoongi loved more than the wooden Piano in the corner room, it was his privacy.

But to hell with that. After what Seokjin saw – the woman at the window – there was no way he was going to fall asleep all alone.

Yoongi seemed skeptical when Seokjin explained what he saw. He dismissed it off as one of Seokjin's lucid dream. Though Seokjin could see a flicker of confusion on his face.

Either way, Seokjin never welcomed sunlight like he did the next morning. He ran out to the pavement and settled on the nearest bench. Yoongi followed him and handed him his cup of coffee.

"Do you not believe in ghosts?", Seokjin asked him.

Yoongi shuddered, "I do not want to because that would make me feel they are real. I am shit scared of ghosts."

Seokjin nodded, "Yoonie, it was probably a prank by those men, but it scared the hell out of me."

"Avoid their path if you can, please?", Yoongi sighed as he sat next to him, referring to this group of men that enjoyed targetting Seokjin with their lewd comments.

Seokjin sipped on his coffee. The caffeine was helping him get rid of the previous night jitters. "It is the shortest way back home from the main road.", he argued.

Yoongi shook his head, "Okay, if it gets late then take the longer route. Or call me, I'll pick you up."

Seokjin smiled. But he would feel guilty calling Yoongi for every little thing. He was already helping him out a lot.

Yoongi was his childhood friend – for a year or two. He ran away from his family when he was 11. It was when he was 15 that Yoongi began to send money from Seokjin to be delivered to his parents and Seokjin did that. He would send them presents as well. In spite of doing all that, Yoongi refused to talk to his family.

Seokjin never pressed him for reasons.

He decided to enroll for Film and Acting at the same University as Yoongi – an unusual choice for the poor. His family was okay with his decision though he received a fair amount of ridicule from the others in his village. When he conveyed the same to Yoongi through a letter, he immediately offered to help him with the stay.

People who knew him said Seokjin was naïve. Seokjin wouldn't disagree. It was more like he didn't know much about the outside world and how it worked. He wasn't too stupid to be lured by a stranger with a chocolate, but he was naïve enough to believe every promise someone made. Like, that one time the boys from his school told him they'll teach him how to swim but they just pushed him into the water and ran away with his clothes. He almost drowned. Or when the same boys apologized to him and 'gifted' him new tee that read 'f*ggot'. He didn't know what it meant so he wore it to school and was bullied for that. He still doesn't entirely know what it means.

Hence, the offer Yoongi made was a blessing. If not for him, Seokjin would've been lost wandering in this town and definitely would've been ripped off his barely-there savings.

Thankfully, he did well on the entrance test and had a silver scholarship that helped him with the fees. However, he still needed money for rent. Yoongi paid a larger portion of the rent. Seokjin argued that it wasn't fair, but it fell on the pianist's deaf ears.

Yoongi freelanced as a pianist at bars and restaurants. He enrolled in the Entertainment Broadcasting course last year at the same university as Seokjin but with a golden scholarship – it meant they would pay him stipend every month.

"We should buy books today.", Yoongi said breaking the silence. "I can't believe you'll go to university from tomorrow."

Seokjin closed his eyes. He was super excited to go to university. He had seen in all the movies and dramas how fun they looked. He hoped it would be the same. Maybe he'd find someone to love too just like they did in the movies!

As if Yoongi could read his mind, he said, "University is much more than what they show in the movies. The movies don't show the hard parts – exams, assignments, the relentless competition."

Seokjin rested his head on Yoongi's shoulder (he had to slip down a little to do that because the latter was a little shorter than him). "It'll be alright, Yoonie. I know."

....

They spent the rest of the day buying second-hand (multi-hand?) textbooks because they were cheaper. Yoongi treated Seokjin to a tasty plate of kimbap and tteobokki.

It was almost midnight when they on their way back and they had to pass the stragglers.

One of them hooted at their car yelling vulgar lines. Yoongi didn't have to be told. He knew those were directed at Seokjin, whose face reddened in either anger or embarrassment.

"This is why you should avoid this route when you are alone.", Yoongi rasped.

Seokjin merely nodded.

As they reached their house, Yoongi was talking about if they should pack lunch or try the food at the cafeteria.

Usually any mention of food would've caught his attention. But not today.

He felt unusually cold – like he was in a freezer. A chill ran up his spine. Right on the roof top of their 3-story house, he could see the same woman leaning on the parapet wall.

And, yet again, he could tell despite not being able to see her face clearly that she was staring right at him.

"Y – yoon – ", he stammered but Yoongi went on his rant about pricey and unhealthy foods at cafeterias.

He had to tug his arm to get his attention.

Yoongi hit the brakes as they reached their house. "What?", he asked looking at Seokjin, who was drenched in sweat.

Seokjin turned to him, "Look up there. The same lady I was talking about."

Yoongi got out of the car. He was more afraid than he let on but when he looked up at the roof top he sighed.

"There is no one.", he declared to a cowering Seokjin who closed his eyes.

"Jinnie. Look.", Yoongi said again as he pulled him out of the car.

Seokjin opened his eyes. There was no one.

He trembled as he stepped into their house. One look and Yoongi knew he'd have to share his bed again.

....


	3. S1 - College is fun, right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> K-dramas haven't entirely told Seokjin what college life is like.

Yoongi was anxious though it was his second year at college. He always was – it was a major part of his personality. But it slowly slipped out as he watched Seokjin run into the campus like a little kid. He was dressed in simple white tee and blue jeans but Yoongi couldn't help but admire how beautiful he looked.

"Can you find your way to your class?", Yoongi asked as he joined a wide-eyed Seokjin in the middle of their campus garden.

"Yoonie! I am not a kid. I can do that. I won't get lost.", he grinned in response as he hopped away towards the Department of Arts and Film-making.

He got lost. The corridors were a maze. He asked a couple of older students for directions and finally spotted the classroom. He checked the time on his phone – he was already 5 minutes late.

He let out a deep breath and pushed the door open. The classroom already had students settled in. Thankfully, the professor wasn't in.

But a guy was seated on the teacher's desk, cross legged. The students were laughing at something he was saying.

"Why are you late?", the guy asked Seokjin, authoritatively.

"I got lost.", Seokjin replied as he searched for a seat.

The guy cocked his head, "If you can't find your way to the classroom, how do you expect to find your way in life?"

Seokjin smiled at him, his cheeks puffing up, "You have to get lost to be found."

The class hollered and the guy's serious face turned into a frown. "Don't talk back to me.", he said loudly.

Seokjin flinched as the guy got off the desk and walked to him with a wooden ruler in hand.

The guy was handsome in the most unrealistic way. He had mismatched eyes – one monolid and another double lid. He had moles strategically placed just to enhance his beauty. But he was dressed to kill – literally. He was wearing a black tee that stuck to his toned chest. Over that, he wore an olive green chore coat that made him look like he is about to race off at the drop of a hat.

The guy jabbed the ruler at Seokjin's chest, who was curiously looking at him.

"You look – ", the unrealistic-looking guy started but stopped when he saw the teacher step in.

Seokjin bowed to the teacher and took his seat. The guy sat a few seats in front of him. When Seokjin looked up he spotted the guy staring at him with a smirk. When Seokjin raised his eyebrows in confusion, the other guy winked at him and looked away.

He must be the villain in my movie, Seokjin thought as the teacher skipped all the niceties and plunged right into the subject. He wondered who his love interest would be.

....

Seokjin met Yoongi for lunch at the cafeteria. No offense to Yoongi, but Seokjin did not expect him to make any friends.

However, as they sat down at a table, a rather cheerful, tanned guy followed them and slipped next to Yoongi.

"Why didn't you wait for me?", he asked, his bright smile intact. He had nothing but a banana on his plate.

Yoongi sighed, "I asked you not to follow me."

"I am Hope – Hoseok is my name here. You must be Seokjin.", the guy introduced himself to Seokjin, ignoring Yoongi.

Seokjin smiled, "Are you his classmate?"

"Kind of.", he brimmed happily as he squeezed the banana out instead of peeling it.

Both Yoongi and Seokjin's faces scrunched at that.

"That's not how one eats a – ", Seokjin started to explain but was cut short.

"Hope! What are you doing here?", a voice called to him. It was the same guy from Seokjin's class – the villain of his movie.

Hope waved to him. "Tae! I got a banana.", he said like he won a lottery.

The villain grabbed him roughly out of his seat when Seokjin complained.

"Hey. Why are you doing that to him? He is Yoongi's friend.", he said to his villain.

Yoongi snorted, "He is not."

"But I am.", Hope frowned. "We are friends."

The villain tugged at Hope's hand again, "Don't go around making weird friends, Hope. Please."

"But I like his soul. It is comforting.", Hope explained with a pout.

Yoongi and Seokjin looked confused while Taehyung looked panicked. The latter dragged away a pouty Hope to his table.

"Stay away from that boy.", Yoongi told Seokjin.

"Hope?", Seokjin asked. "He looks nice."

"Not Hope. He is just an over excited, harmless puppy. The other one – the one with the permed hair and tattoos.", Yoongi answered as he sipped on soda.

"Isn't he nice? I can see no tattoos.", Seokjin asked as he watched Taehyung and Hope's form get lost in the crowd.

Yoongi shook his head, "Not someone we should associate with."

Seokjin waited for more details. Yoongi sighed, "You know the kind that has a feud with almost everyone. The kind who slept with half the town. The kind that is always in trouble."

Seokjin nodded his head.

"He is all that.", Yoongi said as he gulped down the rest of the soda. "The villain of everyone's story."

"Hey, I thought the same too.", Seokjin said cheerily. "He will be in two of my classes today! One is over. He'll be in another one too."

Yoongi's brows furrowed, "He is in the second year. Why is he – "

"I know. Apparently, he skipped an exam last year and he has to repeat it again.", Seokjin explained as he picked their trays to drop them off. "Don't worry, Yoonie. I'll stay away from him."

Yoongi patted Seokjin's arm, "Please do."

......

After their last class (which involved an argument between the teacher and the villain – villain won by the way), Seokjin was the only one who walked against the stream of students to the washroom. He drank too much soda in the afternoon.

The washrooms were on the extreme ends of the corridors. He rushed to the farthest one because it would more likely be vacant.

He was right. There was no one in the washroom.

Once he stepped into the stall, he could hear someone outside but a couple of seconds later, it was pure silence. When he got out, there was no one. He ignored that.

His head was showing signs of an oncoming migraine and he just hoped it would stay put till he reached home. He turned on the tap in the white and gray-walled washroom.

Seokjin shivered. There was a sudden drop in the temperature and the water from the tap seemed to be close to frozen. The mirror started to fog up.

His breathing felt labored and every breath filled his lungs with pain. Right before he fell to his knees, through the fogged mirror he could see her. The same lady – only her face was clear in the light. Her white and gray gown made her camouflage and her brown skin stood out.

He could feel her walk towards her. His head throbbed. His lungs ached and he could hardly keep his eyes open.

He heard a yell and could feel someone's warm hands pull him up and drag him out of the washroom.

As soon as they stepped out of the washroom, the temperature was back to normal. His headache wasn't. The hands that helped him, maneuvered him to the nearest classroom and he slumped on a bench, with his head still between his hands.

As the warm hands slowly released him, he grabbed for them. He was unexplainably scared and was even more scared that the person would leave him again.

"I'm here. I'll get your bag.", the guy said but Seokjin gripped his hand tighter. After a minute or so, he finally managed to open his eyes.

It was the villain. He was sitting on his knees next to him, his hands tightly held in his own.

"I'm sorry.", Seokjin muttered. His headache was still hurting him.

"I'm Taehyung.", Taehyung said with a little smile. "It is okay. You are safe.", he spoke softly as he handed him a piece of chocolate.

"Seokjinnie.", Seokjin mumbled and continued to eat in silence when Hope walked into the classroom.

"The washroom.", Taehyung said without taking his eyes off the other boy.

Hope left without another word and a minute later came back with his bag.

"You've calls that you've missed on your mobile device.", Hope told as he gave Seokjin his bag and his phone.

Taehyung rolled his eyes, "You can just call it as a 'phone'."

"But it is a device that can be used when mobile.", Hope whined. "I don't understand human terms."

Seokjin stared at them both, still in a state of shock.

"Hey, look at me. It is okay. I am here. Should I walk you home?", Taehyung asked ignoring Hope.

Seokjin smiled weakly and shook his head, "That is okay. I can go home. I am fine."

"Are you sure? You don't look good.", Hope said.

Seokjin shook his head again and said, "Thank you.", before he left the classroom.

Taehyung exchanged a look with Hope, who only shrugged in return.

....

Yoongi had another show at the local pub, which meant Seokjin had to walk home alone. It wasn't dark yet, but the lonely road scared him. He wanted to keep his promise and take the longer road and avoid the bunch of men on the shorter path. But he felt like someone was following him or that like the girl would pop out of nowhere. The longer route had lesser street lights and he did not have the guts to take that route.

In a second, he turned to the lane that is the shortest path to home. The sun was almost setting and the street lights turned on. Seokjin increased his pace and almost began to jog. While he passed the stragglers' usual hangout, he kept his head down, with his hands tightened around the straps of bag. He tried to ignore the foul comments that were being yelled at him.

" – pretty boy, come here.", someone hollered at him. Seokjin knew it was the guy with a prominent scar across his right cheek. He was the scariest of them all. He was the one who came the closest to him every time.

His fears came to life when someone put their hand on his shoulder. His legs failed him, and he cowered away from the person.

"I said I'll walk you home.", the voice said and Seokjin looked at Taehyung's smiling face.

His heart sighed in relief. He bowed his head as Taehyung turned back to glance at the men who were still smirking and whistling at Seokjin.

To take Seokjin's mind off it, Taehyung asked, "Will you have to walk home alone daily?"

"N – no. Yoonie has a show today or else he drives me home.", Seokjin replied.

Taehyung frowned, "Is he that pianist? Second year?"

"Hope's friend.", Seokjin said with a smile. "Or at least that's what I think. Yoonie can't make friends."

Unconsciously, Taehyung's hand gripped Seokjin's shoulder tighter. He questioned, "Why does he drop you home?"

"We live together.", Seokjin said as he tried to subtly get rid of Taehyung's hand.

Taehyung apologized and took his hand off his shoulder, "I am sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"N – no. Thank you dropping me off.", Seokjin said as he pointed to their house. "That's my place."

Taehyung was about to push open the gate when Seokjin panicked and stopped him.

"I can't come in?", Taehyung asked with a raised eyebrow.

Seokjin looked at the ground, "No. It – it is just that, no – no one is ho – home. Yoongi won't like – please don't mind. I will ask Yoongi the next time if you can come."

Taehyung suppressed his smile at how adorable Seokjin was being. He nodded, "I understand. Take the necessary permissions, then."

Seokjin eyes widened like he was surprised that Taehyung isn't offended. He replied, "Thank you. You aren't very bad."

"You thought I was bad?", Taehyung asked from the other side of the gate, staring right at Seokjin's chocolate brown eyes. There was something pure and innocent about those bright orbs that Taehyung couldn't stop admiring.

Seokjin looked flustered, "So - sorry. I – I thought, you know – because you spoke to me rudely in the morning – "

Taehyung chuckled and tapped his chin, "It is okay. You were not wrong. I am not very good. I'll meet you tomorrow?"

"Y – yes.", Seokjin stammered. "Don't tell Yoonie that you walked home with me."

"I never talked to him, but okay.", Taehyung assured him. "Is he your daddy?"

Seokjin shook his head, "He is not my father. H – he warned me not to take that route because of those men. If he knows that I took it, he'll be angry and make me wait at college till he can pick me up."

"They do that all the time?", Taehyung asked and something about his tone scared Seokjin. He takes a step back and shook his head, "I've to go. Bye."

Taehyung waited till he went in and locked the door. He then walked back with his bag hanging off one of his shoulder. The men from before were still at the same place, smoking and drinking noisily.

When they saw Taehyung, one of them nudged the other, as if asking them to be prepared to either mock or knock him off.

Taehyung walked closer to the scarred one and smiled at him, "Don't do that ever again."

"Who da fuck are ya? Da boy's pretty. We can share.", the scarred guy replied with gritted teeth. His hair was an ugly tangled mess and had even more scars and wounds when seen from up close.

Taehyung nodded his head, "Right. Let me introduce myself." He moved his hand, and calmly pulled out a hand gun, that was stuck down his waist band. He turned the safety lock off and smiled at the scarred one.

"I don't know what your toys were as kids. But I played with guns. I never missed a shot. I've killed more things than you can count using your fingers and toes.", he continued as he playfully pointed the gun at the scarred guy. The others backed away from him.

The scarred one gulped in fear. Taehyung smiled sweetly and twirled the gun as he walked away from them. The men stood there scared when Taehyung turned back and said, "Also, I don't like to share. He is mine."

....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can imagine Taehyung in Dean Winchester's attires, if you've to.


	4. S1 - Angels watch over us.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Namjoon tries to confront Taehyung.  
> Seokjin is in trouble again (the other kind).

If you take a paper, crumple it, open it and then draw a myriad of lines haphazardly on it so much so that you wouldn't know the start or the end, can you imagine how it looks like? That's how Seokjin's mind felt like.

After he came back home, Seokjin decided like any sensible Catholic would, he should go to the Church as soon as he can.

The nearest church was the one that was on the other side of their college and so, Seokjin decided to pay a visit the next day. That night, he knelt next to his bed and said his prayers. He felt guilty for not spending enough time with God after he left his village. He was thankful that Yoongi didn't complain when he slid next to him in his bed. There was no way he'd be able to sleep alone.

....

It was only 7 in the morning when Taehyung stood in the basement of his house facing a frowny Hope.

"You can't say things like that. You can't tell random people that you are an Angel.", Taehyung said as he packed his bag. Hope shifted on his feet. He replied, "But he seemed nice. He also exudes a very faint Angel aura."

"But he is human. You will scare him away.", Taehyung reprimanded and Hope nodded. He was about to continue his tirade when his brother walked down the stairs, with his shirt unbuttoned and loosely hanging down his shoulders.

"Joon!", Hope smiled and waved. He wouldn't say it out loud, but he preferred the company of the elder brother to the younger one. There was something calming about Namjoon and something sinisterly wild about Taehyung.

Namjoon smiled at him and then looked at Taehyung, "I won't be home tonight."

"New case?", Taehyung asked sparing a glance at his brother.

Namjoon graduated a year ago and worked as a psychologist. But his part-time job consumed a good amount of his time.

Namjoon nodded, "A probable Vampire nest in the next town. I thought you'd be interested." The time between summer and the onset of winter was the busiest for anyone who hated vampires, especially around where Namjoon lived. The preys increased, the vampires doubled, and they got restless enough to leave traces around. Until almost a year ago, Taehyung and Namjoon hunted them together. But not anymore.

"Why would I be? I told you I am never getting into that business again.", Taehyung said cocking his head.

Namjoon shrugged, "You enjoyed destroying nests. As much as you say you hate it, we had fun."

Taehyung didn't reply. Instead he said, "There might be another case too. I am not sure, but Hope thinks so."

"Any sulfur traces?", Namjoon asked.

Taehyung shook his head. He said, "Ghost maybe? Unsure."

"In our town?", Namjoon questioned. Their town was mostly clear of all supernatural creatures except for the few – like the one standing in the room.

Hope nodded in response. He added, "Neither of us saw it. But the temperature drop, and the reaction of that boy sums up to that conclusion."

Namjoon sighed, "I'll look into it once I am back."

....

Namjoon drove Taehyung to his college while Hope had been grounded. Right as Taehyung stepped out, Namjoon said, "You know, it'll help to have another hunter with me. If there's an emergency, I don't want a rusty hunter like you by my side."

Taehyung smiled, "I won't be rusty. But my decision doesn't change. We lost too much to that job."

Namjoon nodded like he understood and drove away.

Taehyung walked in to spot the boy with wide shoulders and an enticingly complimenting tiny waist walk towards him. He didn't mean to do it so obviously, but he did – he unblinkingly stared at his body proportions with the trademark smirk on his face.

Seokjin didn't miss the way his eyes raked but he chose to ignore. Instead, he said as he put forth a box, "A thank you for helping me yesterday."

Taehyung took the box, which had a piece of chocolate cake. He smiled at Seokjin and said, "There are better ways you could thank me, but this would do for now."

Seokjin's smile fell as he looked confused, "Do you want more cake?"

"Oh yeah.", Taehyung replied checking out the boy in front of him. "Everything alright?"

Seokjin and him fell into step as they walked towards the classroom. After a few seconds, Seokjin replied, "Migraine."

Taehyung raised his eyebrow at him but let it go. Not everyone accepts the presence of supernatural creatures and not everyone thinks they should talk about it. So, until Seokjin chose to tell, Taehyung decided to keep an eye on him.

....

It was in the evening when exiting the college that Taehyung ran into Hope.

"You are grounded. You aren't allowed to get out of our basement.", Taehyung huffed as Hope followed him.

Hope frowned, "How can I be punished for telling the truth? Moreover, the child didn't understand what I meant."

Taehyung sighed and was about to argue again when Hope pulled out his phone. He said, "Namjoon called. The Vampires escaped from their nest. He managed to get rid of two or three."

"Good enough.", Taehyung answered though guilt singed his skin. Maybe if he was there to help his brother, things would've been easier.

Hope continued, "He also said he'd whoop your rear, if you'll miss more of your classes. He asked me to go and check on you. That is why I am here."

Taehyung rolled his eyes, "What now? You are spying on me?"

"No. Babysitting.", Hope replied. "So? Why did you miss your classes?"

"I was keeping an eye on that boy. He didn't run into any trouble today though. Unfortunately, I share only one common class with him. I skipped my other classes to sit in the same room as him.", Taehyung explained.

Hope nodded, "Shouldn't we just tell him and help him? What if we are too late? What if he dies?"

Taehyung lurched at the last question. He chided, "Hope! You don't say things like that!"

"Why? You humans have ridiculously short lives. He could die tonight, and we wouldn't know.", Hope responded.

Taehyung stopped walking. He didn't want to go back to his life of a hunter. He sighed, "Will you watch out for him tonight? Report it to me if you see anything weird. Do NOT use your powers. We don't want anyone blinded."

Hope grinned, "I'd be happy to! I can't use my powers yet – they are very weak. Aren't you following him home today?"

"That pianist is with him today.", Taehyung said, trying to push away the unexplained annoyance.

Hope's eyes lit up, "It is okay. I'll watch over him."

Taehyung nodded, "Stay safe. Stay hidden."

Hope almost danced his way to Seokjin's house because Yoongi lived there too but Taehyung didn't have to know his reasons.

....

Seokjin asked Yoongi to drop him off at the church and promised that he'd return home well before dark. Yoongi himself was off to perform at a low-end bar.

The church was mostly vacant except for a couple of old people, silently offering their prayers. Seokjin walked to the front and kneeled down, while muttering his dearest lines. He had been to this church only twice before – once for the usual Sunday Mass, the other time for a confession. He prayed to God to give him the strength to get through whatever trouble he was facing – to give him the answer to the hallucinations he has been having. He wanted to talk about the girl he'd been hallucinating about in a confession. But he was afraid, he wasn't ready yet. He decided to do it another day.

It was fairly before sunset that he came back home. He changed and walked into Yoongi's room – after the incidents, he was too scared to go back to his room. He turned on all the lights and put his hand over the cross on his chest before saying a quick prayer. He texted Yoongi to come home as soon as he can and left the phone to charge by the bedside.

He then walked to the kitchen and started making dinner. Cooking was a therapy for him. It helped take his mind of unnecessary things. He wondered if he should make another piece of cake for the partial-villain of his story. He decided to make one tomorrow and give it to him because he clearly said he wanted more.

He checked the time – Yoongi should be back anytime now. He cleaned the table and placed the food on the table. He started serving food for himself. He clasped his hands and spoke grace – Yoongi wouldn't do it anyway. He then heard a knock on the door.

Seokjin was thankful that Yoongi was back. He hopped his way to the door and noticed that the porch light was flickering again. He made a mental note to remind the house-owners to get it fixed. As always, he peeked through the peephole.

There was no one and yet the knocking went on.

And, suddenly, Seokjin saw the same girl – her face a little clearer, a little closer, on the other side of the door. That was the last thing he remembers before he hit the ground.

....


	5. S1 - Calmer periods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seokjin gauges his situation.

Seokjin woke up in Yoongi's bed. He was surprised to see Hope standing next to Yoongi, with his smile intact as always.

"You okay?", Yoongi asked looking concerned. Seokjin nodded. Then, he frowned and shook his head.

"Yoongi-ah. The knocking and the girl are back again.", he replied. "I said my prayers too – "

Hope spoke quickly, "I know a Psychologist. You should see him."

Seokjin looked at him skeptically, "Will it help?"

Yoongi rubbed his thumb over Jin's hand and encouraged him, "Give it a shot. This isn't the first time you've been experiencing this, right?"

"I'll try then, okay.", Seokjin confirmed looking at Hope, who grinned in response.

Yoongi smiled, "Come have dinner." He then resentfully added without looking at Hope, "You also can join us as a thank you for helping us. Though I still find it creepy that you were here waiting for me."

Hope swayed happily in place, ignoring all the jabs, and he said, "I don't eat."

"What?", Yoongi spat and Hope realized what he just said. He tried to correct himself, "I meant, I don't eat today. I am fasting."

Seokjin's face brightened at that, "For God? I tried to fast once. But I always give in to food."

Hope nodded. Technically, he isn't having food because of his Father only, right?

Seokjin got out of his bed and hugged Hope, "You really are an Angel of the Lord."

Yoongi rolled his eyes while Seokjin and Hope followed him merrily to have dinner.

....

The next evening, Seokjin had to postpone his visit to the Church. Yoongi drove him to Namjoon's place.

"I'll be back in two hours. I'll pick you up. Don't even think about walking home alone.", Yoongi declared.

Seokjin bobbed his head and walked to ring the bell. Yoongi waited till the door opened and left only once Seokjin gave a thumbs up.

"You must be Seokjin.", Namjoon greeted him.

Seokjin smiled as he stepped into the house. "I thought it'd be a separate clinic. I've never been to a therapist before. My village had none."

Namjoon gestured Jin to settle down in the couch while he sat right opposite to him. He responded, "It is more efficient this way. Also, I need my clients to feel at ease to be able to talk to me."

Seokjin smiled again although a little nervously.

"You just have to say whatever you want to. Whatever your problems are. And, everything you say here, stays between the both of us. Don't worry.", Namjoon said soothingly.

Seokjin let out a deep breath before he started his story.

....

"He is my patient! You can't!", Namjoon yelled at Taehyung.

"Why can't I see the notes? I want to know about him.", Taehyung said as he tried to take the client notebook and the recorder from Namjoon.

"Go ask him out on a date like a normal human being.", Namjoon said pushing Taehyung away.

Taehyung groaned, "At least tell me if there is really a ghost involved?"

Namjoon shrugged as he scanned his eyes through his notes, "There is a little inconsistency in what he says – he is nervous, or he is lying. But he doesn't seem like the kind to lie. He is really sweet, innocent and very religious."

"Let me stop you right there. Don't tell me you are crushing on him.", Taehyung snorted.

Namjoon smiled wistfully, "Am I not allowed to? You slept with almost everyone in this town. I don't have anyone to go out with, without them leaving as soon as they know that you are my brother. Plus, he is very adorable."

"Of course, you can't. I want him.", Taehyung gasped. "Wasn't I clear?"

"He isn't the kind to spend a night with you until your lust runs out.", Namjoon replied as he read the notes. "Don't taint him. Leave him out of your list."

Taehyung folded his hands against his chest and said, "Fine. What about the ghosts?"

"He thinks he is hallucinating.", Namjoon replied.

Taehyung shrugged, "No one is going to immediately believe it is a ghost. Most of our previous encounters have also said the same."

Namjoon shook his head, "He says he has always had these hallucinations. That he sees dead people. That this is not the first time."

Taehyung looked up from his phone, "Then, why is this different?"

"He says all the other times – and he means since he was a kid – he'd see dead people watching him from afar. They wouldn't approach him. This time – he says it is a brown-skinned girl with curly hair – she manages to come close to him – closer each time. He says she is trying to tell something.", Namjoon explained. "That scared him."

Taehyung fell back on the couch and thought for a few seconds. Then, he said, "You must've had the onset details, right? Like, when it all began?"

"Just a couple of days ago. He denies knowing her. It isn't new that people do exist who encounter ghosts more than the others. But he is very afraid this time. He tries to hide it and play it off with a smile.", Namjoon detailed. "We should look into it."

"You mean you should look into it. Don't drag me into this.", Taehyung said as he got up.

Namjoon looked like he wanted to argue but he dropped it.

Taehyung looked like he wanted to leave but he wished for once that Namjoon would've dragged him into this.

....

Yoongi noticed that Seokjin is apprehensive after he came back from the Therapist. He was unusually silent during the drive back home.

So, while they both clean up the dinner plates, Yoongi questioned, "Did anything go wrong?"

"Uh?", Seokjin looked up at him. "N – no. It went fine."

Yoongi patted the plate dry and walked to Seokjin. He said, "Jin. I'll believe whatever you say. Did anything happen when at the Therapist? Did he say anything? Did he misbehave?"

Call Yoongi paranoid, but since Seokjin moved to the town, everywhere he went, he seemed to attract the loud-mouthed teasers on the streets. What made it worse was that Seokjin wouldn't tell him about any of those incidents unless Yoongi himself noticed it.

Seokjin shook his head, "He was very nice. But I lied to him – I feel bad."

"You can tell him the next time. Jin-ah, if he asks anything that you are uncomfortable with, you don't have to answer.", Yoongi told him.

Seokjin nodded his head as they walked to Yoongi's room. After they laid down, Seokjin muttered low, "Yoongi, I miss home sometimes. I know it's only been a month, but do you think I can go back in a few weeks?"

Yoongi turned to look at Seokjin's face and said, "I don't know what you miss about it. It is a horrible place."

Seokjin frowned, "N – no. Not really. I mean – you know – the people aren't very nice but -"

"Very nice? They are pests.", Yoongi said but looking at Seokjin he sighed. He added, "Yeah, we have a long weekend next month. You can go then, probably."

"You won't come?", Seokjin asked hopefully. Yoongi visited his own home only twice in the last 5 years.

Yoongi shook his head, "Did your therapist tell when you've to visit him again?"

"No. Yoongi-ah, it will cost me a lot. I don't even have a part-time job yet. I don't want to go.", Seokjin said bitterly. His savings won't last long if he continued to spend money at a therapist.

Yoongi sighed, "We'll see about that. Sleep now. Wake me up if you need anything."

Seokjin nodded and pulled his covers up to his eyes. He would tell Namjoon that he can't come anymore.

....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If it isn't clear, Taehyung and Namjoon are hunters - they hunt supernatural creatures that are a threat to humans.


	6. S1 - Let us play 'Yoongi Says'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seokjin and Taehyung talk.

Namjoon was concerned that Seokjin did not show up at their therapy session. After waiting for a good 30 minutes, he received a message from him saying that he would want to discontinue the service and will pay him the fees for the previous session via PayPal.

Namjoon agreed to it. Moreover, news mentioned symptoms of a Vampire nest. Between a unsure ghost and a whole Vampire nest, the latter seemed more of an issue to him.

However, Taehyung felt otherwise.

"You should ask him to come for another session. You said he lied and was inconsistent – maybe he is not comfortable with you. Maybe I should talk to him.", Taehyung tattered, following Namjoon around their lavish kitchen.

Namjoon shook his head, "You are not a therapist and the Vampire nest is more important. The way you are interested in getting into his pants, I am sure you'll follow him around."

"I don't know if he is my type though. He is too cute and ridiculously innocent. He doesn't catch the wind of my flirty ways.", Taehyung complained. "But yeah, great body – love it."

Namjoon groaned, "You are a horrible person."

"Hey – I don't lead people on. I am always honest about my relationship plans – I have none.", Taehyung argued.

Namjoon long gave up on him. He pushed the half-burnt pasta onto Taehyung's plate and continued to wash the dishes while his brother whined about the food quality.

Taehyung, according to Namjoon, was one of the best hunters they've ever had – even from a young age. His shots were precise, his hunches about cases were almost always right. And, he was amazingly committed to each and every case they've ever come across.

Until a year ago. Until a year ago, when they came across a seemingly simple case – it was a ghoul – they were sure it was ghoul, Taehyung was his hunter-self. 

Ghouls are a race of monsters that feed mainly on the flesh of the dead and assume the form of their victims. The only thing that can kill a ghoul is decapitation or complete destruction of the head. Bashing their brains in works as well. 

Taehyung's strength was decapitation, which is why he was well sought after for destruction of Vampire nests.

The case was strong, the traces were obvious. Despite Ghouls' general agility, this one was losing strength. Taehyung had his shotgun slung across his shoulder his anciently fashioned sword ready in his hand.

The Ghoul was on its knees, ready to take its next victim. Only, it was in the assumed form of its previous victim – a 13-year-old boy. As soon as the Ghoul noticed Taehyung, it put on its sweet face, and a frown – it begged him to not hurt a child.

A child – that was Taehyung's weakness. He raised the blade but failed to bring it down on the Ghoul, which used the opportunity and escaped.

Another dead child showed up the next day, followed by another one, before Namjoon managed to kill the Ghoul.

But it was over for Taehyung. He never lost any cases. He destroyed every evil creature and survived on the sense of saving lives. He blamed himself for the deaths and he quit. He said he was incompetent to carry on. He did not touch a gun, or a sword since then. Or so, he said.

Though, Namjoon was sure, he carried one around. Paranoia of years stays in, no matter what.

Namjoon was brought back to the kitchen when Taehyung dropped his bowl in the sink with a loud thud.

"Tae-ah, how long are you going to avoid this? I'll refer you to some other therapist.", Namjoon tried.

Taehyung cleaned the table before he responded, "And, what should I tell them? That I murdered two kids?"

Namjoon rubbed his temple, "You have got to stop blaming yourself. It happens – "

"Did it happen with you? Did you let a fucking Ghoul get away? They were little children! I could've saved them! Their blood is on my hands. I cannot – can we not discuss about this again?", Taehyung retorted in annoyance.

Namjoon hugged and patted him before he left.

....

Taehyung shared no classes with Seokjin that day. That didn't stop him from catching up with him at the gate.

"Hey, cake boy!", he greeted Seokjin, who quickly checked his surroundings.

"Searching for you daddy?", Taehyung teased.

Seokjin innocently shook his head, "He is not my father."

Taehyung smiled, "So, you were looking for him?"

Seokjin nodded and then replied, "But he won't be here. He has a show. I've to wait for him here till he comes back."

"I can drop you home.", Taehyung suggested as he sat next to him.

Seokjin moved a little away and shook his head.

"Are you scared of me?", Taehyung asked, amused by Seokjin's reaction.

"N – no. I am not.", he replied and continued to avoid looking at Taehyung.

The hunter smiled, "Okay, you don't like me?"

Seokjin looked at him with round eyes, "Of course not. You helped me."

"Do I make you uncomfortable, Seokjin?", Taehyung asked. He wouldn't be surprised if he was making him feel so. People were either extremely attracted to him or entirely feared him. There was no in-between. So far, Seokjin didn't seem to fall in any of those categories.

He watched Seokjin play with the hem of his tee-shirt.

"I'm sorry if I did something that scared you. I'll leave.", Taehyung said as he got up.

Only he immediately felt Seokjin's hand softly tug the back of his shirt. He was still looking at the ground, but he said in a soft low tone, "Yoongi asked me not to talk to you."

"Okay. Then, don't.", Taehyung said but did not walk away.

Seokjin stood up and slung his bag.

Taehyung smiled to himself as Seokjin silently followed him. Taehyung stopped at his car when Seokjin finally spoke. He said, "You've a car? Won't we walk home?"

"Does Yoongi have something against cars too?", Taehyung asked as he gestured Seokjin to get in.

Seokjin giggled as he sat in the car, "No. He hates only you." He immediately clasped his mouth.

Taehyung chuckled, "It is okay. As long as you don't hate me, I'm okay."

Seokjin shifted his gaze back to his lap.

"How is your migraine?", Taehyung asked. He wanted to know if he has had any new encounters apart from the one that Hope reported to him.

Seokjin resumed playing with the straps of his bag. He replied after quite some time. He said, "It comes and goes. I am okay."

"Hope told me what happened.", Taehyung said.

Seokjin quickly glanced at him and looked away, "I – I thought I saw someone."

"Okay?", Taehyung replied, hoping Seokjin would continue.

"No – nothing", Seokjin said, sounding worried.

Taehyung stopped at the lonely red traffic light.

Seokjin spoke, "We don't have traffic lights at my village."

He continued excitedly, "We never have traffic. You can cross the road with your eyes closed and you wouldn't get hit by anything. You might run into a pig."

Taehyung smiled, "That isn't that bad."

Seokjin straightened himself and shook his head, a habit that made his hair softly dance on his forehead, a habit that Taehyung realized he grew fond of. Then, he replied, "Running into pigs is fatal."

"What?", Taehyung asked in genuine surprise.

Seokjin answered, "I mean, if you casually walk into them, it isn't fatal. But if you run into them or if they run into you then, it can be fatal. Despite how pigs look like, they are very strong."

Taehyung chuckled, "How do you know all that?"

Seokjin eyes brightened and Taehyung found it impossible to keep his eyes on the road.

"We have a farm. We've lots of cattle. I had a pet pig too. His name was 'Oink'. But he got lost. I searched for days together for him, but never found him. He was pretty dumb.", he said with a little pout.

Taehyung smiled, trying hard to not look at him and focus on the road, "What farm do you've?"

"We've a melon and a strawberry farm. The latter ran into a lot of losses. That is why I had to work harder to save more money for college. If it wasn't for that farm, I would've joined college two years ago.", Seokjin explained.

"Wait. How old are you?", Taehyung asked. "Aren't you 20 or 21? I am 22."

Seokjin pouted again and shook his head. Taehyung counted numbers in reverse so as to not hit the brakes and pull him into his lap.

"I am 23.", Seokjin muttered with his pout intact. "I am too old."

Taehyung hit the brakes only because they reached their house.

Seokjin got of the car and bowed to Taehyung, "Thank you. But those men weren't there anyway. I troubled you for – "

He stopped talking as he stared at the lights flickering at his porch.

"Seokjin?", Taehyung said looking at his pale face. "What is it?" He looked at where Seokjin was staring with his eyes wide.

Taehyung whisper yelled at Seokjin to get back into the car.

"She – she – You can see her too, right?", Seokjin trembled as he moved closer to Taehyung.

Taehyung could definitely see a girl, just like what Namjoon described. Her form flickered along with the lights as she tried to come closer. The temperature dropped and Seokjin turned away from her, shivering, into Taehyung's chest.

"She can't touch you. Don't worry.", Taehyung calmly said as he let Seokjin curl into his arms.

Seokjin whimpered, "Let us go away. She comes closer every time. Taehyung-ssi, please."

Taehyung didn't start the car though. He watched the girl's form trying to get closer to Seokjin and failing repeatedly.

"Baby, look. She can't touch you.", Taehyung said softly, trying to make Seokjin lift his head.

By the time Seokjin looked up, her form entirely flickered off. He was still shivering so, Taehyung repeated, "The car is warded from ghosts and demon – well, ghosts. And, I am right here, baby."

"She – she is real.", Seokjin muttered, trembling. "You can see her too."

Taehyung sighed as Seokjin fell back into his arms, sniffling.

"I wanted you in my arms, but not like this.", Taehyung said and that made Seokjin move away from him, with his eyes wide.

Taehyung laughed and said, "What did Yoongi tell you about me?"

"Noth – nothing.", Seokjin mumbled. He was too afraid to step into his house alone. He was too flustered to sit in the car with Taehyung. He should've listened to Yoongi and waited at college.

Taehyung roughly pulled Seokjin back onto him and that made Seokjin scream.

Taehyung let him go off as he dissolved into a pit of laughter. He said as he got out of the car, "I won't do anything. I promise. I am not nice, but I am not a sexual assaulter."

Seokjin stared at him, his almond eyes full of doubt.

"I promise. If I do anything, feed me to that ghost-friend of yours.", Taehyung repeated as he opened Seokjin's car door.

Seokjin stepped out gingerly, "Shouldn't we just stay in the car if she can't come in here?"

Taehyung unlocked the car's truck and pulled out a sack of rock salt. He smiled at Seokjin, "Baby, we can't live in the car forever. Also, what would your Yoongi say?"

"What's that for?", Seokjin questioned as soon as he noticed the sack of rock salt.

"Ah. To keep you safe from that friend of yours.", Taehyung answered as he kicks the gate open. "Her kind are fatally allergic to rock salt. Now, come over, and help me spread this around the perimeter of your house."

Seokjin stared at Taehyung like he was the dumb pig he once lost but continued to do what he said.

Once they were done, Taehyung called Namjoon and updated him that there was indeed a ghost.

Seokjin stood at the door with his eyes glued to the floor.

"You won't let me in?", Taehyung asked, bewildered.

Seokjin muttered, "Yoongi said – "

"Ahhhh Boongi!", Taehyung groaned. "You would rather face the ghost-lady than let me in? I've hit a new low in my life."

Seokjin snapped but like a little kid, "You said the rock salt will keep her at bay!"

"Yes, baby. It will. But I think it would be safer if I stayed here. At least till your Boongi comes home.", Taehyung clarified.

Seokjin frowned, "His name is Yoongi. I promise I will ask him the next time. Yoongi is really nice. He will let you come home if I ask him."

"You are 23 years old. What will I do to you?", Taehyung asked almost whining.

Seokjin giggled, teasing Taehyung, "You could eat me."

"In the name of the fallen angel, Lucifer, I actually might.", Taehyung laughed and that was why Seokjin shut the door on his face.

Taehyung started the car and slammed his head on the steering, wondering why of all people, he wanted Seokjin's attention so bad. He spat curses at Yoongi and drove away.

Seokjin peeked through the curtains and watched him leave. He was always the good boy, who listened to his parents. Yet, he didn't know what made him keep secrets from Yoongi and want more of Taehyung.

At least, the girl doesn't come back that night. Seokjin fell asleep alone in his bed remembering the warmth of being in Taehyung's arms.

....


	7. S1 - I break rules and hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seokjin does things because Taehyung asks.

Seokjin stood in the farthest corner of the library, looking for the latest version of his text book. He already had a pile of books wobbling dangerously in his arms. He shoved one of them back into the shelf and started to read the contents of another book.

"Hiding?", a voice startled Seokjin enough for him to drop all his books to the floor.

Taehyung looked at him amused as he picked up the books for him. He was again dressed in a grey frayed tee with his olive green coat.

"N - no.", Seokjin replied as he took the books from Taehyung while checking around.

Taehyung sighed, "Looking for Boongi?"

"His name is Yoongi.", Seokjin pouted. "N – no."

"Did you tell him that I dropped you home?", Taehyung questioned moving closer to Seokjin, until the latter's back hit the book shelf.

Seokjin nodded wide eyed, "He asked about the rock salt."

"You could've lied.", Taehyung replied with his hands in his pockets, smiling softly.

"I can't lie to Yoonie.", Seokjin replied, averting his gaze to the floor.

Taehyung tilted his head and asked, "What are you two?"

"What?"

"Is he your boyfriend?", Taehyung asked with his forehead creased.

Seokjin squealed, "Oh my God. No. That's – No. We are not – I am not – No."

Taehyung bit his lips, his eyes not leaving Seokjin's, "Then? Do you sleep together?"

"Sometimes.", Seokjin replied innocently looking at Taehyung. "He doesn't like it though."

Taehyung gulped down his frustration, "You like it?"

"Yeaaah. I don't like sleeping alone.", Seokjin answered with a pout.

"What?"

"Especially after that girl – usually I am used to sleeping alone. I mean, I've at least two plushies with me. Back at home, I've more than two. But I got only my Mario one here. I wish I had another one. I should've got my pig plushie too.", Seokjin babbled. "I might go home next month. I'll get my – "

He stopped his sentence midway because Taehyung grabbed his waist and pecked his cheek.

"Will you tell Boongi about this too?", he rasped lowly in Seokjin's ear, whose whole face turned red in color.

When he didn't reply, Taehyung took a part of his book pile and spoke, "I wanted to ask about the girl. Do you know her?"

Seokjin's eyes went back to the floor with the books held close to his chest. He shook his head.

"Did you ever see her?", Taehyung asked him again. "Why would she come to only you if you don't know her?"

Seokjin doesn't reply again. So, Taehyung stopped him, "Baby, look. Rock salt is the not the solution. We need to burn her bones if she wasn't cremated. If she was cremated, we need to find out if her soul is stuck to something."

Seokjin nodded, "But I don't know her. I never saw her."

"Okay. Can we talk about this today evening? Will your Boongi allow you?", Taehyung asked.

"He has a show today so we can meet. I won't tell him.", Seokjin promised. "Will – will you meet him someday? He'll like you once you meet him!"

Taehyung raised an eyebrow, "Why will he like me?"

"Because I like you.", Seokjin blurted out. He then realized what he said and abruptly ran out of the library.

Taehyung can't stop smiling for the rest of the day.

....

"Seokjin?", the teacher called him twice.

He snapped out of his dreamland and looked at the teacher.

"You still didn't register for any extra-curriculars. While it is not mandatory, ECAs add weight to your resume. I hope you'll consider it," she said before she left the classroom.

Seokjin nodded. He only then realized that most of the class left; the remaining few were just packing their bags.

He hastily began to pack his bag when he remembered that he promised Taehyung that he'll meet him in the evening. But they didn't decide the place. He packed his bag and planned to go to the parking lot where they got into the car the previous evening.

He wanted to forget, pretend like it didn't happen, but his fingers unconsciously kept going back to the spot on his cheek. While he was afraid about what Yoongi would say, he was even more afraid about the way his heart acted when Taehyung was around him.

Just as he stepped out of the classroom, he received a text.

_**New Contact**_ : _Baby, library in 10 mins._

He didn't have to ask to know who it was.

He crossed their campus central garden. The grass under his feet spurted dews of water onto his shoes. The clouds began to come closer again, indicating another round of rain.

Seokjin tugged his bag tighter as he stepped into the library. The library was huge, and it would take forever for him to find Taehyung.

His feet, however, took him towards the same place where they met in the morning. He looked around for Taehyung as he stood next to the book shelf, against which he was cornered in the morning.

Again, his fingers go back to touching his cheek; his heart began to thud loudly.

"You are obedient," he heard Taehyung's deep voice.

"You didn't tell where in the library," Seokjin replied hoping Taehyung didn't see his stupid new habit of rubbing the place where he kissed.

Taehyung smiled, "But you found me."

"What did you want to know?" Seokjin questioned, trying to get over with this meeting as soon as he can.

"So, how much do you like me? Is it like a friend? Or are you okay with me kissing you?" Taehyung shamelessly asked as he gestured Seokjin to take the nearest chair.

The phone from Seokjin's hand slipped to the ground as he sat in the chair. He stammered as he fumbled to put down his bag and pick his phone, "Fr – friend."

Taehyung was faster. He was already down, picking up the phone. He then said, "You are already making me go down on my knees."

"What did you really want to know?" Seokjin asked taking the phone and looking away from Taehyung.

Taehyung sat on the table and pulled out a journal from his own bag. He said, "Okay, so, the girl was brown skinned – which is a big relief for us because it is easier to find them in our town. And, I've narrowed it down to five girls of that age and that build. Two of them are alive, so let us exclude them."

"Three passed away in the last one year. One of them died of cancer, so, for now, let us keep her aside. The other two - " he said circling two names in the journal, " - the cause of their death is unclear. Both of them were said to be registered as students in our college. However, I couldn't steal more details. Our administration office must've more details in the form of paperwork."

"How did you get to know all that?" Seokjin asked in awe.

"Old friends, and help from people who owe me favors," Taehyung replied nonchalantly. "So, we've to break into our administrative office and look for papers."

"Wha – What?" Seokjin muttered in shock, "We aren't allowed to go in."

"Of course, we aren't. That's why we have to 'break-in'," Taehyung said with air quotes.

Seokjin shook his head, "Even if we did, how many records can we go through? She could've been from any year – "

"Shh, baby. The college maintains a separate record for students who've discontinued their course. We just have to look for that," Taehyung answered as he hopped off the table. "Shall we get going now? The office remains unguarded for around thirty minutes to an hour."

Seokjin didn't get up. He stared at the ground, "Can't we just use more rock salt or whatever – "

Taehyung sighed patiently. He went down on his knees again, and took Seokjin's trembling hands, "I know you know nothing good about me. And, I am not here to prove that I am good. But something about you makes me want to be nice. So, please believe me when I say that rock salt isn't the solution. The rain in the morning must've already washed it away. There is a storm building up again. We need to put an end to this as soon as we can."

Seokjin continued to stare at his hands. He too wanted this to end.

"Baby, look at me," Taehyung softly said. "You don't have to talk to me after we are done with this. Promise. You don't have to worry about your daddy knowing anything, alright?"

Seokjin slowly nodded as Taehyung got up.

They first left their bags in Taehyung's car and then took the shortest route (as claimed by Taehyung) to the administrative records office, which was located at the farther end of the third floor. Just like Taehyung said, there was no one around.

The door creaked but the sound was downed by the thunders. Seokjin was afraid his knees would give in as Taehyung held the door open for him to enter.

The room was pretty dingy. The tube lights did a poor job. One side of the room had unused tables and chairs stacked up. The other end had rusty glass cased shelves from the floor to the ceiling, filled with columns of green and brown records.

As soon as Taehyung closed the door, the little light of sunset was taken away from the room. The rainfall and thunders seemed distant. Seokjin walked close to Taehyung, who was reading the papers stuck against each shelf.

"Are you going to follow me around or actually search?" Taehyung questioned as he moved onto another glass shelf.

Seokjin pouted, "Why can't we find these on the computer or the school website?"

"Because those are personal details," Taehyung sighed as he walked further into the room. "Ah, look, this has records of students who discontinued last year."

Seokjin waited as Taehyung casually broke the lock of the shelf and pulled out the records he could first reach.

"Quickly see what each file is for. If you find the discontinued file, we will take that home," Taehyung said. He already placed a pile of files in Seokjin's hand. He sat next to the shelf and rapidly started to go through the files.

Seokjin followed suit. A few minutes later, he yelped in pain.

"What?" Taehyung asked as he looked up from his pile of records to find Seokjin sucking on his thumb.

"Papercut," Seokjin muttered and continued to go through the files with one hand as he sucked on the other's thumb. Because Taehyung didn't reply, he looked up only to see Taehyung with a stupid smirk on his face, watching him like a creep.

Seokjin threw the nearest file at him, "Don't you have any hackers who owe you favors? Someone who can, from the comfort of our home, find the details?"

"I'll try better the next time, your highness," Taehyung mocked.

Seokjin paused as he stuffed back the unnecessary files into the shelf, "What are you?"

"Madly enticed by you," Taehyung replied without missing a beat.

Another file hit him in the face.

"I meant what do you do. Why do you know all about ghosts? Why do people owe you favors?" Seokjin asked the question that had been bugging him since last night.

Taehyung too got up and pushed the files back in. He edged closer to Seokjin, in an attempt to annoy him when they heard someone's booming laughter.

The door creaked open though now it didn't let in any light – clearly indicating that the sun had set. The silhouette of the person who opened was the other way around. He was talking to someone on the phone.

Taehyung kicked the couple of remaining files under the shelves and quickly grabbed Seokjin to stand in the narrow gap between two shelves at the corner.

"You said no one will be here," Seokjin whispered as he trembled.

Taehyung placed his palms on Seokjin's heaving chest as he whispered against the other's ear, "Can you still feel my kiss on your cheek?"

Seokjin gulped, mostly in embarrassment. He could still feel it.

Both of them heard the man's voice grow louder as he continued to ramble on the phone.

Seokjin's hands were awkwardly stuck somewhere between Taehyung's crotch and stomach. He slowly moved them outwards and held onto his waist. He frowned when Taehyung smirked at his touch.

The man's voice seemed to go down and Taehyung risked peeking out to see him leave the room. He turned back to a worried Seokjin and gestured him to be silent.

"He didn't leave?" Seokjin took a chance to whisper as the thunder boomed outside. He couldn't hear his voice anymore, but he could still be in the room.

Taehyung feigned innocence and dipped down to lie, "He might leave if you let me kiss you."

Seokjin lurched back in confusion. He then peeked to see the room empty. "He isn't there," he said.

"I know," Taehyung chuckled.

"Why – " Seokjin groaned as he pushed Taehyung away from him. "Yoongi will be here. I should go. We still didn't find the file."

"Hey, go out with me," Taehyung asked abruptly as he watched Seokjin shove the rest of the files into the shelf. "Like, on a date."

Seokjin checked the time on his phone, "Yoongi must already be here. I've to go, I've to go."

Taehyung grabbed his hand, "Why are you scared of Yoongi?"

"I am not scared. I lied to him. I said I'll stay in the classroom and not talk to you," Seokjin said as he walked to the door.

Taehyung sighed and went back to surfing through the files. A second later, he found Seokjin standing next to him, with a furious frown.

"Missed me already?" Taehyung asked.

Seokjin replied with a soft punch on Taehyung's arm, "The door is locked. That man must've locked it for the day."

...


	8. S1 - I am not a good boy.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seokjin talks about what he sees and a little more.

Seokjin waits impatiently as Taehyung calls Namjoon and Hope, so that either one of them could break them out of the record's room.

"Don't you have more tricks up your sleeve?" Seokjin asks, a little annoyed and a little angry, his fists clenched tightly.

Taehyung sighs, "My usual job doesn't require me to break-in. And, no, for the millionth time, I cannot open the lock from the inside."

He then sees Seokjin's teary face and says, "Hey, I texted my brother and Hope. He'll be here soon."

"Yoongi texted," Seokjin mutters. "I lied to him."

"So? You never lied?" Taehyung asks as he waits for either Hope or Namjoon to reply.

Seokjin shakes his head, "Never to Yoongi."

"Hey, we aren't doing anything wrong. There is a ghost haunting you; we are trying to stop that," Taehyung replies and sits next to him. "I'll talk to him."

"He is waiting for me," Seokjin says, ignoring Taehyung's words. "What should I say?"

"He is calling – he is calling," Seokjin panics, moving the phone away from him.

Taehyung grabs the phone from him and answers.

Seokjin goes wide-eyed and tries to snatch it back but too late.

"Hey, Boongi. It's Taehyung. Baby and I are stuck in the administrative records room. Get a stone or something on your way to break the lock and let us out. Peace," Taehyung speaks and cuts the call before Yoongi can reply.

The phone begins to ring again. Seokjin answers it gingerly, "Hel – hello."

He remains silent expecting a full blown tirade from Yoongi. Instead, he just hears one question, "Are you okay?"

"I am," Seokjin replies. "Yoonie, I am sorry. I should've – "

"No, it is okay. I am on my way," Yoongi says and cuts the call.

Taehyung smiles, "See, he didn't say anything."

Seokjin snaps, "He never says anything. That doesn't mean it is okay for me to lie and let him down."

"Ah, baby," Taehyung wraps his arm around Seokjin's waist, trying to calm him down. "You are worrying about nothing."

Seokjin uses his curled fist to push the sweat off his jaw.

"Go out with me," Taehyung says for the second time that evening. And, again, Seokjin ignores. He tries to push away Taehyung, who surprisingly doesn't protest.

"Baby, before your Boongi is here, I want to make something clear. We've to get to the bottom of this whole ghost-girl friend thing. Either we are going to do that how I usually do, or I do it this way – with no concept for personal space," he says pointing at the hardly-there distance between them. "If you aren't comfortable, tell me now. I'll stop."

Seokjin takes a couple of steps away from Taehyung as a way of answer.

Taehyung lets out a deep breath and picks a single file, "Wow, that hurt more than I thought it would."

Then, they hear the door click open.

Seokjin moves even farther away from Taehyung. He rushes to the door as soon as Yoongi steps in.

Taehyung, for the first time, notices that Yoongi looks like a fierce feline. He is shorter and smaller than both him and Seokjin, yet he has a very unapproachable, intimidating aura around him. What Hope likes about him? Taehyung didn't know.

Yoongi softly asks a tensed Seokjin, "You fine?"

Seokjin nods, "I am sorry."

"I told you not to hang out with him, Jin," Yoongi speaks. "Where's your bag?"

"In my car," Taehyung says as he walks past them. He quietly leads them to their car and hands Seokjin his bag.

Right as they turn to leave, Taehyung grabs Seokjin's wrist and asks him softly, "One last time?"

Seokjin stares back and ever so slightly nods his head. Taehyung smiles at his consent and pecks his cheek.

And, like it is nothing, Taehyung leaves in his car. Yoongi stares at Jin in surprise, "What does he mean last time?"

"Noth – nothing," Seokjin stammers. "We'll go home."

....

Seokjin sees it but didn't mention it to Yoongi. The rain, as Taehyung predicted, washed away the rock salt that apparently protects him.

Once he is in his room, he fiddles with the keys on his phone, wondering if he should ask Taehyung to help him with the rock salt situation.

In all honesty, Seokjin didn't understand what he feels and why he feels so. The last time he as much as had a friend was – 6? 7? Maybe 8 years ago. To see someone be nice to him is too exciting for him. But at the same time, Yoongi didn't like Taehyung and Taehyung – well, Taehyung seems to like him a bit too much.

With the phone cradled in his arms, wondering about the rights and wrongs, Seokjin falls asleep unaware of what the night holds.

It is around 3 AM that he abruptly wakes up to a chilling silence in the house. In his sleepy daze, he scrambles around for his blanket. The once-humid evening has somehow transformed into a chilly night.

Seokjin feels the cold spread gradually faster. The single blanket doesn't feel thick enough.

Cold. Colder.

So cold that there are puffs of smoke that is emitted with every breath of his. In a flash, he sits up straight.

He remembers. The cold. The washed away rock salt. The flickering lights.

He tries to call out for Yoongi, but his voice has long died in his throat. He stumbles out of his bed, dropping his phone midway. He wants to pick it up, but he wants to be with Yoongi as soon as he can.

Past the flickering lights, he almost crosses the living room towards Yoongi's bedroom when the cold gets unbearable.

Against his will, he turns around only to see the same girl. However, this time her silhouette is darker and more opaque than before. That's how Seokjin takes in her features.

She has deep-set almond eyes, a button nose and neat bowed lips. But it is her eyes that make Seokjin halt in his place. There is so much sadness in them that he is tempted to reach out to her, to help her and ease her pain.

But it is the cold that makes it excruciatingly painful for him to breathe. She moves towards him in static of on and off and that is what stills him ever more.

He desperately wants to call out to Yoongi, hold onto the arm of the couch, do anything so as to not collapse. He tries to keep his eyes open. He tries to see the girl, almost attempts to ask her what she wants from him.

He hears a gun shot, the girl blurs, his vision blurs too. Within seconds, right as he hits the ground, there are two arms snaking around his waist. He leans into it, into the familiar scent without a worry and then passes out.

....

He hears voices before he completely wakes up in Yoongi's bed. There are two figures in the room.

One of them, Yoongi, approaches him first, "You okay?"

Seokjin nods as he sits up.

"If you are feeling alright, can we talk a little more about the girl? I need a day more to find out about her," Taehyung says. He is leaning against the door, a good seven feet away from Seokjin – six and a half feet more than Seokjin would like.

Seokjin nods and says, "She is sad."

"What?" Yoongi asks confused. "The dead girl?"

Seokjin nods again, his hair bouncing on his forehead. Taehyung bites his lip to stop himself from smiling.

"She is dead. I don't think I'd be happy if I died too," Taehyung counters.

Seokjin furrows his brows. Yes, he was the one who said, Taehyung should keep a distance from him. Yes, he still wants Taehyung by his bedside and not against the door frame.

Yoongi groans, "I still can't believe ghosts are real."

"You literally have a crush on an Angel," Taehyung remarks as he folds his hands.

Utter silence follows for a few seconds before Yoongi stammers, "Haha, funny. An Angel."

Taehyung rolls his eyes.

"He can't – he can't actually be an Angel. Like the Angels we read in the Bible? The ones painted naked in the paintings?" Yoongi asks. "What – "

" – I'll give you time to recover from your crush's identity." Taehyung says, understanding that ghosts is one thing, but Angels from Heaven is another level of revelation altogether.

"I need air," Yoongi says as he exhales loudly. "Imma step out for a few minutes. Is that okay, Jin? You'll be fine with him?"

Seokjin glances at Taehyung and nods.

As soon as Yoongi exits, Seokjin asks, "Why did you come?"

"I already warned you about the rock salt," Taehyung quips as he shrugs. "I emptied all that I had the last time. Went back to the bunker to get some more. But seems like you and your girlfriend can't stay away from each other even for a few hours."

There is an edge to his voice that Seokjin catches and it pains him a little.

"Not – not my girlfriend," he mutters. "But I know nothing about her. We risked and broke into the room and found nothing. I never – "

" – _You_ , you found nothing. _I_ found the file," Taehyung says pointing at a brick-brown file at the foot of Yoongi's bed.

Seokjin gingerly opens it as if he expects the girl to pop out of it.

"Fifth page – that's our girl. Anne," Taehyung supplies as Seokjin goes through the file. "She was supposed to join this year, along with you. But she never signed the admission form. She just didn't show up."

Seokjin peers at the passport-sized picture of the girl. He is sure it is her, despite the light in her eyes gone, despite how pale she looked now.

"It is her," Seokjin agrees. "What do we do now?"

Taehyung walks towards him and Seokjin almost breaks into a smile. But Taehyung only takes the file from him walks back to his original place.

He says, "Not _we_ , Seokjin. _I_ will try to find her bones and burn them – usually that should work. But if your girlfriend – "

" – not my girlfriend," Seokjin mumbles a little angrily.

" – has already been cremated, we've to find what's making her stay around," Taehyung completes, ignoring Seokjin. "If it goes well, I'll let you know. If it doesn't, I suggest you and your Boongi to move to our bunker until this is settled."

"Bunker?" Seokjin asks, his eyes wide and curious.

Taehyung nods, "I already asked your Daddy about it. He is fine – Of course, he is fine. Hope lives there."

"You stay there too?" Seokjin asks, as he sits straight on his knees. "In the bunker? Will you stay with us?"

_Like a sleepover_ , Seokjin thinks. He loves the idea of sleepovers. He's heard so many fun stories at his school of all his classmates doing the wildest things. He has watched a ton of dramas and movies that showed sleepovers as the most relaxing thing ever. And, he has never had a sleepover. He has never even been invited to someone's home.

There is tingling in the tip of his fingers just by the thought of staying overnight at a friend's place.

"Only if I don't burn her down in the next 24 hours," Taehyung says calmly. "Don't worry. I won't stay with you."

Seokjin feels deflated. He sits back on the bed and pulls his covers up to his shoulders.

"Are you angry with me?" Seokjin asks slowly with a little unintentional pout.

Taehyung just stares at him before he blinks hard and sighs, "No, Jin. I'm not. I am just working the case."

Seokjin nods as Taehyung waves and leaves the room.

Yoongi comes back disheveled, still trying to fathom that Hope is indeed an Angel and not a human. Even so, he manages to fall asleep before Seokjin does.

Because though Taehyung said he isn't angry with him, Seokjin feels distinctly out of his skin. Though it sounded mellifluous in his voice, Taehyung never called him by his name before and it keeps Seokjin awake more than the ghost should've.

....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, in case you guys aren't aware of supernatural series. Below are a few quick pointers that I use in this story -   
> 1\. Ghosts/Spirits are weak against rock salt. It is used both raw in its salt form or is made into bullets. The gunshot referred above is Taehyung shooting the girl.   
> 2\. Hunters are a loose group of people with their own ethics and morals. And, having Angels around isn't common.  
> 3\. Angels have something called as Angel Grace. They cannot sustain on earth by themselves and usually possess a human's body. It has to be noted that they cannot possess a body without the consent of the human.
> 
> If you've any questions, do ask. :)
> 
> ....


	9. S1 - I wanna play too

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seokjin wants to know more and be out more.

Seokjin and Yoongi decide to skip college and stay back at home. While one is sulky about Taehyung's behavior (which he only requested), the other is too flustered to even meet Hope.

Around 4 in the evening, Yoongi passes out on the couch, surrounded by a pile of assignments and multiple coffee mugs. Seokjin too abandons his paper on _Realists vs Romantics_ theory. He remembers what Yoongi said that University was more of running behind deadlines, drowning in papers and losing sleep.

He stretches before he goes to his room and kneels. He closes his eyes, and prays, "God, I hope I've never been greedy with my prayers. But today, I pray for Taehyung to not find what he wants. I don't want him to burn her bones yet. I want a sleepover. Please, please, please?"

As soon as he opens his eyes, he hears his phone ring. He runs to lift it before Yoongi wakes up.

It isn't from Taehyung though. It is from Namjoon.

"Hello?" Seokjin answers the call, a little confused.

"Hey, Seokjin. This is Namjoon. I am not sure if you've my number saved – "

"I do. Hello, Namjoon-ssi," Seokjin replies.

There is a sigh before he says, "Umm, can you send me the address of your place? I'll pick you and your Dad up."

"My Dad?" Seokjin asks with a frown. "Why pick us up?"

Namjoon chuckles, "I am sorry. I am Taehyung's brother. He called me and told me that he isn't done with his work and asked me to pick you and your Dad to bring you both to our bunker. Did he not talk about this arrangement – "

" – Yoongi. Yoongi and I. Not my Dad," Seokjin says. Then, he realizes, "Does it mean we stay over at your place? For the night?"

There is a loud crashing of things on the other end before Namjoon answers, "I'm sorry. We haven't had people over in a long time, so cleaning up the place. I'll be there in an hour. Is that – "

" – Yes! Yes, we'll be ready," Seokjin says cheerily. His prayers came true. He'll finally have a sleepover!

....

Yoongi rides shot gun while Seokjin sits in the back seat with the suppressed energy of an excited puppy.

Namjoon is the one to break the growing silence. He asks, "So, umm, I didn't know Taehyung was working a case."

"I learnt about the whole business last night," Yoongi says and shudders. Then he side-eyes Namjoon and asks, "Are you – are you human?"

"Ah, you must know about Hope then. He is the only Angel we know," Namjoon says with a soft dimpled smile. "We met him because of a case. He was wandering around like a little kitten. He is very thrilled to have you over. He is readying a room for you."

"Me too!" Seokjin says with a wide smile. "Will – will Taehyung be home too?"

Namjoon shrugs as they take a turn into a deserted road. He says, "Taehyung works obsessively. I only know bits and pieces about this case. The girl he was trying to find out about – Anne? Anne, I think. She isn't from here. She is from an orphanage three towns over. He left early in the morning. He dug around and found that they never found her body – "

" – that doesn't sound good," Yoongi mutters.

Namjoon agrees, "It doesn't. The orphanage only gave him a letter that she sent from here. He said he'll try to find more because the people there are acting weird."

Seokjin face falters.

Namjoon understands incorrectly that it is because he is afraid. So, he adds, "Hey, the bunker is 100% ghost-proof. You'll be safe, don't worry."

Seokjin smiles at his assurance. But it isn't the ghost that he is bothered about. It is Taehyung. He wants Taehyung to be at the bunker with him.

....

When they kept saying 'bunker', Seokjin imagined a 2 room, congested home.

What he doesn't expect is a huge ever extending basement, complete with a conference room, kitchen, lined up with multiple bedrooms.

While the house itself was multi-floored (Seokjin was confused as to how many floors it had), the basement seems to him, like a whole other village.

"Do you live here?" Seokjin asks, his mouth agape in awe. "Or upstairs?"

Hope comes hopping towards them and Yoongi lurches back. Hope frowns, "Just because I am not human, are you scared of me?"

"N – no," Yoongi stammers with guilt. "It is just not believable."

Seokjin, on the other hand, hugs him. He says, "I always told Hope is an Angel. How is that difficult to believe?"

Yoongi smiles weakly, "Yeah, he is."

That puts the smile back on Hope's face. He says, "I'll show you around. I am not very fond of the bunker. I'd rather stay upstairs. But sometimes I get these fierce headaches that I can avoid if I stay down here."

Yoongi and Seokjin follow him as he leads the way showing each room with the air of a Hotel Manager.

"This is my favorite!" Hope says as he points to a Victorian-era bathroom. There is a single fancy large bathtub in the center of the entire room. The walls are painted in a dull teal, while the large pseudo-windows on one side of the bathroom are covered with burgundy colored velvet colors. What Seokjin loves the most is the wall length mirror that stands right behind the bathtub.

"It is beautiful," Seokjin mutters in awe.

Yoongi, however, seems disinterested. He says, "And, our bedrooms?"

"Ah. The bedrooms are dingy and boring. I'll never understand how you humans sleep," Hope says as he takes them towards two doors marked with consecutive numbers.

He says pointing at the doors, "The one on the left is yours, the one on the right is Seokjinnie's."

Yoongi clicks his door open and disappears behind the door.

Seokjin stalls for a second and asks, "Where do you sleep?"

"Me?" Hope asks though his eyes wistfully linger on Yoongi's door. "I don't need sleep."

"Realy?" Seokjin asks, fascinated. "Do you eat?"

"Sometimes," Hope says with a grin. "Mostly because I like the taste of the food!"

Seokjin smiles and is about to ask more questions about being an Angel when he hears Namjoon's voice from the door of the basement.

"Hope! Tae's here. Dinner in 10 mins," Namjoon yells.

Seokjin smiles a little.

Hope raises an eyebrow at him.

Seokjin says to that, "Who cooks?"

"Ahh. The two brothers are good humans, great hunters, but horrible cooks," Hope says solemnly. "Joon is cooking tonight. So, it'll be pasta and once that burns, he'll order pizza."

Seokjin giggles.

Hope ruffles his hair slowly and asks, "Are you sure you aren't related to me?"

"No," Seokjin replies shyly. "I am human."

"Okay, come up in 10 mins or so. Get Yoongi too," Hope says as he leaves the basement.

Seokjin nods and enters the room assigned to him.

It is a bare minimum one. The walls are all plain grey. There is a single bed, with a grey pillow. The only pop of color in the room is a fresh sunflower in a glass of water.

Seokjin quickly changes into his light brown Pajamas, drags a tired Yoongi back to the house.

" – I didn't – THAT IS STILL HOT – TAE – no," Namjoon's voice is heard down the hall.

Yoongi and Hope settle at the dining table. Seokjin walks into their kitchen and stares wide eyed at the chaos.

There is pasta or remnants on it on the stove, on the floor, on the walls and somehow on the ceiling.

Taehyung is wrestling the pan out of Namjoon's hands, while the latter is blowing air onto his burnt palm.

"Do you need help?" Seokjin asks.

Namjoon and Taehyung freeze. Taehyung throws the pan into the sink. He says, "No. We ordered Pizza."

"I wanted to make Pasta, but I am not great at it," Namjoon sheepishly says, as he gestures around at the spilled pasta.

Seokjin chuckles, "I can see. I was so scared of you as my therapist, but you are sweet."

Namjoon grins, "I – "

"The door bell," Taehyung interrupts. "Must be the pizza boy."

"Hope can get it," Namjoon says.

"The delivery persons are afraid of Hope," Taehyung says. "You go."

Namjoon frowns at his tone but smiles again at Seokjin before he goes to collect the pizza.

There is this awkward silence between the other two.

Seokjin checks Taehyung's clothes. He is dressed in black jeans and a washed out gray short-sleeved tee. His arms look greasy and his hair is in a mess.

Taehyung can see his eyes scan him and he hasn't ever felt smaller in his entire life. He internally smacks himself for not freshening up. Especially because Seokjin looks like he bathed in liquid pearls with a pretty pink dusted on his cheeks.

"Did you get hurt?" Seokjin asks moving closer. "Did – "

" – No. I'm fine. Car ran into a minor problem, had to fix," Taehyung says, rubbing his hands and making it worse.

"Is it hard?" Seokjin asks.

Taehyung presses his lips, "What's hard?"

"The hunting job," Seokjin says taking a step. "You – you look very tired."

"It is _very_ hard," Taehyung replies with a little smile. "Did your girlfriend show up again? If she does, can you just ask, where the fuck is she sleeping?"

Seokjin shakes his head.

Taehyung sighs as he runs his hands over his face, "I don't understand how the Archdiocese filed her as dead if they couldn't find her body. I am assuming it's somewhere in our town. If it is not, you'll stay here for the rest of your life."

When he opens his eyes, Seokjin is a less than a meter away from him. His doe eyes examining his face.

"Wha – wha - " Taehyung stutters. _I didn't know I could fucking stutter_ , Taehyung thinks.

Seokjin rubs Taehyung's cheek and says, "You are getting grease all over your face."

"You look like a cartoon," he adds and starts to giggle.

Taehyung's face softens, his heart melts. He hates the way Seokjin makes him feel.

"Bab – "

" – Taehyung, come eat!" Namjoon calls him. "Pizza's getting cold."

Seokjin bites his lip, suddenly aware of how close they are standing. He turns on his heel and leaves a groaning Taehyung in the kitchen.

....

It is probably past 12 or maybe it is 5 in the morning. Time seems like an illusion in the basement. Seokjin is wide awake and very hungry.

That is what staying up late makes him – extremely hungry. He wonders if he can go back to the kitchen and cook something or if it is crossing the lines of hospitality.

To keep his hunger away, he has been drinking water, and now, he has to pee.

He tries to remember where Hope showed the bathrooms. He does remember the Victorian one. He gets out of his bed and using his phone's torch he tries to find the bathroom.

After a couple of turns, he realizes that he is lost. He can't find the bathroom or his way back to his room.

He considers just sleeping in the nearest room when he hears a sound.

"Hello?" Seokjin calls out, hopeful that Hope is awake. "Hope?"

There is another loud bang and Seokjin jogs towards the source.

"Hello? Hey – " Seokjin calls out again before he runs into someone, who is not Hope and whose chest is cold and bare.

He screams.

The person that he ran into, holds his arm and turns on the nearest light. A couple of other lights go on and Taehyung steps into the basement with a gun cocked in his hand.

"It is okay," Namjoon says to Taehyung, who looks like someone slapped him. "Seokjin ran into me. Put your gun down."

Namjoon lets Seokjin out of his arms when Taehyung continues to stare at them with bloodied eyes.

"I wasn't able to sleep. Thought to do some light reading," Namjoon says showing a pile of books in one of his hand.

Taehyung grunts, "How the fuck is that light reading? And, can't you do that with a shirt on?"

"You know I don't like wearing one when I am sleeping," Namjoon reasons. He then turns to address a scared Seokjin, "I am sorry if I scared you. I'll walk you back to your room."

Taehyung's jaw stiffens. He says, "That's okay, Joon. I'll help him. You can go on with your light reading."

"I don't – "

"Do you work out a lot?" Seokjin asks. "Look at your abs. Woah! So cool."

Namjoon blushes slightly, "Uh, yeah. It's my stress reliever. I work out – "

" – Come with me, Seokjin," Taehyung orders as he walks past them, his hands almost itching to grab Seokjin's wrist and take him away.

Seokjin smiles and bows politely before he follows Taehyung.

Taehyung takes him to the bathroom and taps his foot impatiently as he waits for Seokjin. Once he comes out, he silently takes him back to his room.

"I am hungry," Seokjin states as he stands before his door.

"We had pizza," Taehyung replies. "Didn't you – "

"This is boring. I thought sleepovers were fun," Seokjin pouts. "Also, the pizza had so much corn on it. I hate corn on pizza."

"Yes, your highness. We'll make sure we serve you better food the next time," Taehyung mocks.

Seokjin frowns, "Are you angry with me?"

"No."

"Promise?"

Taehyung sighs. It is hard to stay annoyed with someone as cute as Seokjin. So, he says, "I'll take you to the kitchen upstairs. You can cook anything that you want."

"Really? You don't mind?" Seokjin asks, already following Taehyung.

"Yeah. Just – just don't make too much noise, alright? I've to sleep," Taehyung instructs.

Seokjin nods.

....

"I thought you had to sleep," Seokjin says as he chops the carrots, glancing at Taehyung, who is sharpening his knife at the kitchen's island.

"You disturbed my sleep," Taehyung mutters. "What are you cooking?"

Seokjin lifts the loaf of bread, "Sandwich."

Taehyung wants one too, but he doesn't ask.

A few minutes later, Seokjin pushes a plate in front of him and sits opposite to him.

"I didn't ask," Taehyung says, though he is checking the contents of the sandwich.

"Are you angry with me?" Seokjin asks again, his voice a little low, his eyes focused on the sandwich.

Taehyung looks at him.

Against his grubby kitchen, at 3 in the night, Seokjin looks as beautiful as he ever could. He only wants to kiss him.

" _You_ wanted space," Taehyung reminds him.

Seokjin drops the topic. He asks instead, "What about the girl?"

"In a few hours, I'll know where she stayed after she reached here. Then, I'll follow the trail," Taehyung explains as he munches on the sandwich.

Seokjin notices that the sides of bread are thrown aside.

"Can I come?" Seokjin asks. "Can I come with you?"

Taehyung pauses eating, "Where to?"

"When you 'follow the trail'," Seokjin says. "I want to follow the trail too. I want to talk to her. I want to know."

Taehyung smirks, "That's not how it works. I'll do my job alone, save your ass and then we are done."

"Done?" Seokjin asks confused. "We are done?"

"Yep," Taehyung says as he licks the mayo off his fingers. "That's how we solve cases."

"I'll come too," Seokjin says adamantly.

"Did you not hear what I said?" Taehyung scoffs. "That's not how I deal with anyone – "

" – I am not anyone, am I?" Seokjin says as he takes the plates. "If you won't let me come with you, I'll ask Namjoon-ssi. He'll take me, won't he?"

Taehyung breathes out is disbelief. Is Seokjin aware of how madly jealous he is making him or is it just his blatant innocence?

"Why would you go with him?" Taehyung asks. "You have to stay in the bunker."

Seokjin scrubs the plates swiftly, "I won't. I want to go."

"Also, Namjoon-ssi is probably better at his job. Did you see his abs? So cool," Seokjin says dreamily.

Taehyung balls his fists. He has abs too! He says, "Fine. We'll leave in two hours."

Seokjin drops the plate. He says surprised, "Really?"

Taehyung nods and gets up, "But you'll have to listen to me."

Seokjin nods like a pup.

"I'll go sleep," Taehyung announces. "You'll find your way – "

"I'll come with you," Seokjin says as he joins him.

Taehyung's brow creases, "I already said you can. At – "

" – what if you leave me and go?" Seokjin says trying to keep up with Taehyung. "I'll stay with you for the next two hours."

"I don't let anyone into my room," Taehyung grunts with his hand on his bedroom's door.

Seokjin pouts.

"Come in. Don't breathe a word about this to anyone," Taehyung warns as he pushes the door open. Will he ever learn to say no to Seokjin?

Seokjin's eyes widen in amazement.

The room looks like another out-of-place Victorian era bedroom. It has a king-sized bed in the center of the room, with four bed poles raised almost close to the ceiling, with burgundy-colored curtains decorated. There is an old-fashioned long swing at one end of the room. And, a floor-length mirror facing the bed.

"It is an old, old place. I did not have a say in the interior designing," Taehyung says, afraid that Seokjin is judging the room.

But Seokjin is already settled on the swing and slowly moving on it while admiring the rest of the room.

"You won't sleep?" Taehyung asks.

"Will you?" Seokjin asks back.

Taehyung wants to, but he can't knowing that Seokjin is in the same room as him – in his own bedroom.

He lies, "Yes. Two hours."

Seokjin nods, "I'll take the swing."

Taehyung grunts, "Take the bed. I'll sleep on the swing." He thinks Seokjin would argue and he'd play the role of an amiable guest, but he doesn't.

Seokjin jumps into the bed and even before Taehyung can find a comfortable position, he can hear Seokjin's light snores.

And, that's how he finds his comfortable position. He rests his head on his hand and watches Seokjin sleep.

Two hours. He spends two hours watching him and he hasn't ever felt more like a creep and he hasn't ever felt less guilty about being a creep.

....


	10. S1 - We all have secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seokjin gets to play a detective or something like that. :)

"Are you leaving without me?" Seokjin says as he sits up, rubbing his eyes with his sweater paws.

Taehyung groans with his hand on the door handle, "No. I was going to get – uh – things."

Yes, he was leaving without Seokjin. He wasn't planning on risking taking that baby with him.

Seokjin groggily gets out of bed and follows Taehyung, who goes to the basement to refill his ammunition.

"I'll change and come," Seokjin says. "If you leave me, I'll make Namjoon-ssi – "

" – I won't leave, okay? You don't have to do anything with Joon," Taehyung grunts.

Seokjin grins and runs off to change.

When he is back, Taehyung is not in the basement, or in the house upstairs. As he checks Taehyung's room one last time, he runs into Namjoon.

"Do you know where he is?" Seokjin asks. "He said he'll take me too."

Namjoon (still shirtless) pushes his hair back, and checks the time, "Take you where? It's still dark outside."

"For the case," Seokjin says, slightly fuming, mostly whining. "He said he'll take me with him!"

Namjoon sighs and calls Taehyung.

"What?" Taehyung answers immediately.

"You left your baby here," Namjoon mutters low while Seokjin sulks on Taehyung's bed.

Taehyung smiles but says in an annoyed voice, "I am waiting for him at the gate."

"I didn't know people were allowed into your room," Namjoon teases him.

"Shut up," Taehyung mutters.

Namjoon cuts the call and relays the information to the 23-year old.

Seokjin's face brightens immediately. He says, "Will you sweetly tell Yoongi that I went out with him?"

Namjoon nods, "Stay safe, okay?"

He isn't sure if Seokjin listened to him because he is already flying through the door.

Seokjin finds the car at the gate, already with the ignition on. He swiftly sits in the front seat.

"There's only one rule," Taehyung says as he begins to drive. "Listen to me."

"What's that?" Seokjin asks as he pulls his sweater over his palms to fight the morning cold.

Taehyung's face falls, " _That_ is the rule – 'Listen to me'"

"Oh," Seokjin says unconcerned. "Where are we going?"

He has the impish energy of a school kid going out for a picnic and it makes him so endearing that Taehyung wants to yeet himself out of the car.

But he swallows his feelings and replies, "Anne's orphanage has a sister-branch here. She said in the letter that she would stay there while studying at the University. But I don't think she stayed there."

"Why do you think so?" Seokjin asks.

"The warden at her actual orphanage did say she stayed there. But one of her friends reached out to me later and told that Anne didn't want to reside at the sister-orphanage. She said that Anne wanted to get out of the system – out of their Archdiocese world. And, that she always wanted to have an independent place of her own," Taehyung explains as they steer their way on empty roads. "We'll go to the sister branch and find out if she did stay there."

"And, they'll tell us?" Seokjin says stifling a yawn.

Taehyung smiles fondly at him, "I highly doubt that. I feel like everyone's just lying."

He sees Seokjin fighting to keep his eyes open.

"Here," Taehyung says pointing to the side of Seokjin's seat. "Push that back."

Seokjin does as he is told. The seat reclines.

"Sleep," Taehyung says. "I can't get rid of you now, anyway. I'll wake you up when we reach."

Seokjin gazes at him suspiciously but curls into a ball and soon falls asleep.

....

"Oi, Kim Seok Jin. Wake up," Taehyung calls as he pulls out a neatly ironed blazer and a notepad.

Seokjin mumbles something indecipherable in sleep.

Taehyung walks to Jin's side of the car, as he pulls on his blazer. He then unlocks the door and taps his chin. He says, "Baby, wake up. Or else I'll go to the orphanage alone and – "

"I'm awake," Seokjin says with his eyes still closed. "Don't leave me."

"Like I want to," Taehyung inaudibly mutters and pulls out a striped shirt from the back seat.

Seokjin rubs his eyes and stares at him, "Why are you wearing that?"

"We are collecting census information in orphanages," Taehyung says. "We've to look the role to play the role."

Seokjin frowns, "We'll lie to them?"

"Yes, that's how you become President," Taehyung says as he hands over the striped shirt to him. "I hope this fits you."

"I don't want to lie," Seokjin pouts as he takes the shirt.

Taehyung sighs, "Hey, you know what? Isn't it just like acting?"

That convinces Seokjin.

"We'll find the count, the names and leave," Taehyung says. "If they won't tell about Anne, we sneak in. Now change."

Seokjin sits with the shirt in his hands, "Where do I change?"

Taehyung sighs and turns the other way, "In the car."

Seokjin too turns the other way in the car and takes his sweater off.

Taehyung gulps, counts numbers, and then looks sideways into the car mirror. He can see the reflection of the soft curve of Seokjin's neck to his naked shoulder as the elder one pulls on the shirt.

He doesn't remember one thing in his life that he has wanted as bad as he wants Seokjin.

....

" – you could just tell us the names, age and count," Taehyung says with an utmost charming smile to the grey-haired sleepy man, who led them into the reception.

Seokjin looks at him in awe, admiring the way that he easily lies.

The old man grunts in annoyance and goes to get a file.

"It is small," Seokjin comments. "Smaller than the usual ones."

Taehyung furrows his eyebrows, "What is small?"

"The building," Seokjin says. "I wonder where the Rosary fits in."

Taehyung is about to ask him again, but the old man comes back and he has to plaster his charming face back again.

The man hands over the file and says, "We've 17 young women who stay here currently. I have to get the chapel cleaned. Leave the file on the desk after you are done."

Taehyung bows to him respectfully and Seokjin follows him.

As soon as the man leaves, Taehyung takes pictures of all the pages first and then slowly goes through the list of the residents, month-wise.

"Nineteen," Taehyung says as he runs his finger down the page reading the names. "Last month there were nineteen, not seventeen."

Seokjin points at one name, "Anne Miller."

Taehyung slams the book shut and leaves in on the desk with a thank you note – something the actual Taehyung would never do.

"I need to just find out when will their first prayer begin," Taehyung says as he fishes out his phone. "We need to ask someone if they know about Anne."

"It'll start in 40 mins," Seokjin answers as he hops behind Taehyung. "You will hear – "

"How do you know?" Taehyung asks. "Are you sure?"

Seokjin blinks hard but nods his head.

"Alright, we'll go grab some breakfast until then," Taehyung says as they get back into the car again.

....

"Can I be a hunter too?" Seokjin asks at the end of their quiet breakfast at the nearest diner.

Taehyung stops his scribblings in his journal and looks at him with a smile, "Do you want to be?"

"If it helps people, yes," Seokjin says as he wipes his hand with the napkin. "You help people for free, that must feel so good."

"It isn't as fun as it seems," Taehyung says as he goes back to his journal. "I didn't even want to get back into it."

"Back?" Seokjin peers at him. "You stopped being a hunter?"

Taehyung nods as he sips a little coke.

"Why?"

Taehyung shrugs.

"Why did you start again?" Seokjin questions.

Taehyung stops his scribblings. He puts his pen down and pointedly stares at Seokjin, until the other gets very conscious.

The waitress gets them their bill and Taehyung pays it away but not before winking at her.

Seokjin frowns at the flirty exchange. He crumbles the bill, which had the waitress's number and throws it away in the trash while Taehyung checks the time.

They start back to the chapel with Taehyung in a cheery mood and Seokjin in a sour one.

...

There are a group of women walking towards the chapel. Taehyung readies himself to go pretend and flirt and coax answers out of them.

Seokjin beats him to it. He picks a paper that a girl dropped and hands it over to her.

But Taehyung knows it is Seokjin. He has no filters or pretenses.

Seokjin asks in a tone of surprise, "Are you in the choir?"

The girl nods, almost blushing at the handsome guy in front of her, "Yes."

"Will you be performing this today?" Seokjin says pointing at the paper. "I love this one."

She nods again and says, "Do you sing too?"

"I used to," Seokjin says pensively. "I moved here – to this town – recently. I haven't been to the church more than twice, so."

"You can come here," the girl says. "I am Beth, by the way."

"Seokjinnie," Jin introduces himself. Then he adds, "This is my friend, Taehyung."

Taehyung awkwardly smiles at her and receives an equally awkward smile from Beth.

They follow her into the Chapel. Seokjin wants to sit in the front seat, but Taehyung reasons that it is easier to observe others from the back.

So, they settle on the last bench while the initial niceties go on.

"I am sure our girl must've had a roommate, even if it is for a short period of – ", Taehyung starts, but is cut off by the ballad of the choir.

The rest of the Chapel joins them too and Taehyung leans into to joke about how he has no idea what the hell they were singing.

But his voice dies.

Seokjin begins to sing too, and his voice is what Taehyung thought his whole life Angels sounded like. There is absolute reverence on his face, and Taehyung finds himself staring at him until the song ends.

"Beth," Seokjin says as soon as the song ends. "Beth must've been her roommate."

Taehyung scratches on his stubble, still recovering from the shock of Seokjin's voice, says, "How do you know – "

"The Archdiocese-organizations work similar everywhere. Every time a new person joins, they redo the list of names, and rearrange them in the order of their names. One might think it usually happens based on their last name. However, they use the first names. In the list that we saw, there were three girls with the names that start with 'A', and only one with 'B'," Seokjin speaks fast. "The other two were 'Agnes' and 'Ariel' – both would fall together. So, Beth is our likely shot."

Taehyung stares again, but with his mouth open. He stammers, "Why – why do you know all these – "

Again, Seokjin's face draws blank. He turns his head away and ignores Taehyung's question.

"Fine. You talk to her. You have a nice vibe with her," Taehyung says.

Seokjin bites on his lower lip, like he is stopping himself from saying something. But he does mumble, "Not more than what you had with the waitress."

Seokjin hopes the other did not hear it.

But there is a jolt of shock that hits Taehyung. He did not expect it from Seokjin. He wants to tease him about it, but he can't find the words.

They sing the prayer of rosary and Taehyung braces himself to be attacked by Seokjin's vocals but surprisingly he doesn't sing.

"Don't know all the songs eh?" Taehyung smirks at him.

Seokjin shakes his head, "I don't like singing this one."

Then, he adds as he waves to Beth, "I'll go talk to her. You can wait in the car."

"Hey!" Taehyung protests. "This is my case. I should – "

"I'll be back in 10 minutes," Seokjin says, already on his way to meet Beth.

Taehyung groans and steps out to wait in his car.

....

"You said ten minutes," Taehyung complains as soon as Seokjin sits in the car. "It has been more than 30 minutes."

"Sorry," Seokjin says immediately with a pout. "I think I found out what we want though."

He hands over Taehyung a palm-sized plain brown diary and says, "Beth gave that. It belongs to Anne. It has all the listings of the places that she shortlisted – you know, to move in."

Taehyung opens the book and goes through the list.

Seokjin continues, "She also says that Anne had a huge fight with the old man back there. She refused to visit the Head Priest and had a full blown argument with the sisters at a Sunday Mass."

"She was troublesome?" Taehyung questions. "Was she – "

"According to Beth, she was very sweet," Seokjin says. "She loved Theatre and used to write stories for children and also enact them. She just didn't like staying at the orphanage anymore."

He adds sadly, "She was supposed to be my classmate, wasn't she? So young – "

"Hey," Taehyung pipes pointing at an address. "Isn't this your address?"

Seokjin takes the book from Taehyung's hand. There is a brush of his fingers for a whole second that causes unfamiliar buzzing in Taehyung's head.

" – of that," Seokjin says.

"What?" Taehyung asks. He hates, hates what Seokjin does to him.

Seokjin looks at him with round eyes, "Not my address, Taehyung-ie. But the probably of the house behind ours. It must belong to that row of houses."

"Does anyone stay there now?" Taehyung asks as he continues to go through the list, but not really reading them because of the way Seokjin said his name.

Seokjin shakes his head, "It is unoccupied just like most of the others in our community."

"Alright then. Pray to your beloved God that we do find the bones there," Taehyung says.

Seokjin nods.

Taehyung reaches across to pull the seatbelt over Seokjin, and as he does that he says, "Do you know who has a better vibe than me and the waitress?"

Seokjin bites down on his lip, embarrassed that Taehyung heard his mumbles and breathless at how close Taehyung is.

"You and I, baby," Taehyung answers with a wink and receives a soft shove from Seokjin.

He laughs at how red he is as they leave back to where it all began.

....


	11. S1 - I can't connect the dots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hunter brothers and Seokjin try to close the case.

On the way to Anne's supposed home, Seokjin falls asleep again. Taehyung doesn't mind. It gives him freedom to admire him without hesitation.

Right as they reach their community, an organized maze of identical houses, Seokjin wakes up from his slumber.

"Good morning, princess," Taehyung says.

"Don't," Seokjin says, his voice sharper than Taehyung has ever heard.

Taehyung glances between the road ahead and at Seokjin. Despite the sleepiness, there is a new kind of annoyance on his face.

"Don't what?" Taehyung asks.

"Don't call me that. I – I don't like it. I hate it," Seokjin stammers nervously as he adjusts the perfectly fine cuffs of his shirt. "Don't – I don't like, I don't like – "

Taehyung is a little taken aback at how he is struggling to say, at how his fingers are trembling. Not the usual shy-stammers that he has. It is anger or maybe fear.

"Alright, I am sorry. It was just a reference to sleeping beauty – you, know? The princess – "

" – call yourself one then," Seokjin snaps, his hands over his ears. "Stop it – don't say it!"

Taehyung nods as he takes a turn. He mutters, "I am sorry."

"Can we stop by my house once? I want to bathe and change," Seokjin says softly, a stark contrast to what he sounded before, his eyes flitting between Taehyung and his own lap. "I will – I will be quick."

Taehyung smiles as he stops in front of his house. He says, "So, am I allowed to come in now?"

"Yep," Seokjin replies, relieved that Taehyung is not angry; that he is smiling. "I already asked Yoongi. He is okay with it."

Taehyung rolls his eyes and follows him home.

....

Taehyung scans around the house. No pictures in the living room except for a pile of books and college papers on the couch and the table.

The last time he was here, he was in Yoongi's room that could've as well been an unused motel room if not for the music sheets piled up in the corner along with the piano.

He runs his hands over the wooden mantel piece, when he hears a scream from Seokjin's bedroom.

He pulls out his gun and runs to the door. He pushes it twice, and when he realizes it is locked, he shouts out Jin's name.

Then he hears a low mumbling.

"Jin?" Taehyung tries again. "Open the door!"

He hears a strangled ' _waaait_ '.

"KIM SEOK JIN!" Taehyung shouts again.

The door clicks open.

Taehyung pushes the door, past Seokjin and checks the room.

"Why did you scream?" he asks. He turns around to see Jin. He breathes out shakily.

Seokjin is beautiful. Taehyung has long established this fact - actually believes he is the most beautiful human he has ever seen – believed this from the first time he has seen him.

But now he thinks he hasn't ever understood the depth of how beautiful he is.

Seokjin just stands there, his eyes wide, his neck and ears a pretty red that has started to creep into his face. The water's still dripping from the bangs of his hair on to his white tee.

The white tee, that hung loose around his broad shoulders, exposing a good part of his collarbone (that sported a little mole), is a little too wet, clinging to his lean body.

He has a fluffy white towel wrapped around his waist.

Taehyung isn't even aware as he checks him out from head to toe.

" – bee," Seokjin mumbles, avoiding Taehyung's sharp gaze.

"Huh?" Taehyung replies eloquently. " – wha?"

" – bee," Seokjin repeats a little louder as he pulls his tee over his collarbone, which unexpectedly exposes more of his chest, making Taehyung gulp hard.

"Huh?" he asks again and then remembers why he came in. "Yeah, so – uh – you screamed because of a bee?"

Seokjin responds with one single nod of the head.

Taehyung shuffles uneasily on his feet, trying keep his own eyes from staring at Jin's chest, and the way his body slims down to a tiny waist to his curvy hips to -

"Uh – right, I'll wait out then," he manages and points to the door.

Seokjin nods again causing the water droplets to drip around.

Taehyung steps out of the room and says slowly while he avoids meeting Jin's eyes, "Just change your clothes, you know – a buttoned up shirt or a baggy sweater would be great."

He doesn't know if Jin nodded again (in a way that makes his heart go weak) or ignored him. Either way, he has to down a glass of water to quench his thirst.

....

"That's the one," Seokjin says. "Isn't it?"

For the sake of Taehyung's sanity, he is dressed in a lilac pullover. He still looks beautiful – the lilac prettily complementing his rosy cheeks. But at least it brings out only the sweet feelings in Taehyung's heart and not the hot ones.

"It seems unoccupied," Taehyung says as he steps out of the car. He stretches and stares at the house.

It was pretty identical to that of Seokjin's – the same colors, the same structure, the same door and window frames.

"Do you think she was confused between her place and your place?" Taehyung jokes. "Is that why she kept coming after you?"

He looks at Jin, whose eyes are transfixed at the window next to the front door.

"Hey," Taehyung nudges him with his gun. "Are you scared?"

"I think – I think she wants to hurt me," Seokjin says. "Not the first time – the first time it felt like she wanted to talk. But then, something changed – "

"They are ghosts, Jin," Taehyung says as he pricks at the lock of the house. "They are stuck – souls stuck between earth and wherever the fuck they all go to. They need to exercise power and control to be able to interact with humans. While some of them do it easily, the others find it hard. But all of them eventually turn evil – because how long will you remain both stuck and sane?"

Jin nods but asks, "Why does she want to hurt me?"

Taehyung stares at him. The sun's slanting rays highlighting his profile, highlighting the browns of his black hair, making him look surreal. He doesn't know why anyone would want to hurt him – someone so pure, so innocent. So, he says, "We will find out."

The door clicks open and there is an immediate stench of a damp, unused, dusty house.

Seokjin stays close on Taehyung's heels. He follows him around like a pup without a leash.

"She's been living here," Taehyung says as he picks the rotting bowls in the sink. "She was here. Where did she go and why?"

Seokjin stops following Taehyung. Instead, he stares at one framed picture, next to the TV. It must've been very old for it looks brown and wrinkled. There is a date scribbled on the top – _3rd June 1996._

He looks at the picture – three rows of kids, of ages ranging from maybe 3 years to 10 years. They are diligently seated, with their backs straight, dressed in black and white – the girls in neatly pleated frocks, the boys in straight pants and collared shirts. In the center, sits a nun with a tired smile on her face.

Seokjin moves closer to look at the picture. They are all definitely sitting under the sun, on stools placed on green grass, in front of a church or a chapel – it was hard to tell the difference. But he could see the cross.

He jumps when Taehyung appears behind him.

"What are you looking at?" he asks.

Seokjin blinks hard, "This picture – "

Taehyung takes it off the wall to look at it carefully. His trained eyes notice all the things that Jin did quickly.

"Something is very unsettling about it, isn't it?" Taehyung asks as he runs his hand over the picture.

Seokjin takes the frame from his hand and says slowly, "Except for the nun, no one is smiling."

A shiver runs up Taehyung's spine because of the way Seokjin sounds – like he knows the story behind the lack of smiles, behind the eeriness of the picture that he tenderly holds in his hands.

He watches him carefully, but something behind him, right on the dining table, catches his eye.

An open bible face down on the table.

Taehyung picks it up and takes a picture of the page that it is open at – he knows very less about these, so he thinks it is better to take a picture.

"Hey, bab – Jin," Taehyung calls. "Anything special about this page?"

Seokjin puts the frame on the table and takes the Bible instead. He reads it swiftly as he begins to shake his head, "No, nothing."

"Kay," Taehyung says as he sighs. "We should – "

"It is not hers," Seokjin says suddenly. "It is not hers. Look – " He shows the first page of the Bible which has a fading blue stamp.

Taehyung looks confused and embarrassed. This is what he has been doing – hunting demons, solving cases, saving people. Yet, here he is with this baby in lilac, who seems to have some superior wit when it comes to finding the missing pieces.

Seokjin notices the look on Taehyung's face and slowly smiles. "We've Bibles handed to us at the Church. We can borrow them. This one – " he points at the faded print, " – belongs to the church on the other side of our college. The one where I have been to."

"Isn't she really religious? Why would she borrow?" Taehyung asks, impressed with the boy.

Seokjin turns the pages, not reading anything, and answers, "There isn't a single version of the Bible. It changes every now and then. Different versions have different stories. It isn't that weird – I too took one last week."

Taehyung sighs, "Kay, I'll go through her stuff. Pick that photo and this Bible – just in case."

Seokjin obediently does as he says. He then settles in the couch and goes through the Bible while Taehyung searches the rest of the house.

....

"Nothing – nothing weird or out of place. The emf is normal – no spirits hanging out at this place," Taehyung says after he ends his search. "I guess she lives only at - "

Taehyung stills, his gaze focused on Seokjin, who is ruffling the pages of the Bible.

"Hey, you said you picked a Bible from the church," Taehyung says. "Can I see it?"

Jin nods, "Yeah. It's in my room. I didn't pick it. The Fath - "

Taehyung quickly gets back to his car, Jin following him closely. He asks, "I thought you borrowed it?"

Seokjin sits the car and says, "Yeah. I've my own Bible too. But the Fa - "

Taehyung's hands tighten around the steering wheel, " - well, I searched the whole house and seems like she doesn't have one of her own. Now, _that_ is weird."

....

Taehyung waits on the couch while Jin goes and brings back the borrowed Bible from his room. He goes to the first page and smiles.

"How come this doesn't have the stamp of the Church?" Taehyung asks.

Seokjin shrugs, confused.

Taehyung points to the initials scribbled at the corner of the Bible, ' _A.M._ '

Seokjin's eyes widen and he gasps, "Anne Miller?"

"Yeah, you playing around with her book probably made her mad," Taehyung chuckles as he pulls out his phone that has begun to go off.

He answers it quickly, "Joon. We are almost – "

"Shh. I think I found where Anne was buried. When can we meet?" Namjoon says.

Taehyung chortles, "That was sudden. How?"

"Hope," Namjoon answers. "And, a little non-literal digging around at the local graveyards."

"Are you sure it is her?" Taehyung asks as he gestures Jin to follow him.

There is a little shuffling before Namjoon answers, "Yeah, I guess? Unmarked grave – which is rare in our town. Also, unevenly done, a very shoddy job – both with the burying and the tombstone."

Taehyung sits in the car, his phone precariously balanced between his cheek and shoulder. He says, "That's not concrete but I do not mind burning bones – it's been long."

"Right, right – so when?" Namjoon asks. "I just sent the location to you."

"Is it my favorite graveyard?" Taehyung jokes. "The one with the fancy catacomb?"

Namjoon laughs, "Yeah. That one. Hey, is Jin with you? Yoongi is worried – "

" – god, ask him to blow Hope or something. Jin's fine," Taehyung grunts. "We'll see you in 30 mins."

....

The traces of winter is here. The early sunsets and the colder winds serve as indicators for its onset.

Irrespective of that, Taehyung isn't expecting anyone to be hanging out at a graveyard. He leans on the hood of the car with a shovel in his hand.

Seokjin stands next to him, slightly shivering.

"Cold or scared?" Taehyung asks him as they wait for Namjoon.

"Both," Seokjin says as he crosses his arms across his chest and rubs them.

Taehyung wants to wrap him in his warmth. Kiss his blush cheeks. Hum the 80s songs that he knows until Seokjin calms down.

But he asked for distance so Taehyung can only take his chore olive coat off and give it to him.

"You – won't you feel cold?" Seokjin asks, his lips quivering slightly.

_Ah, what a pretty sight_ , Taehyung thinks as he shakes his head. "I don't get that cold."

Seokjin quickly pulls on the coat, that fits him tautly around the shoulders, yet somehow still making him look smaller than he is, somehow giving him the cutest paw hands.

Taehyung can't help but think how pretty Jin would look in his shirts, in his flannels – wearing nothing but his flannels, drooping over his shoulders, with that brown-black hair in a tangled mess –

"Taehyung!" he hears Namjoon yell. He is already at the gate with a bag over his shoulder and a shovel of his own.

He looks at Jin once and then goes to follow Namjoon.

The therapist leads them to one of the farthest trees, to an unmarked grave.

"I think it is this," Namjoon says, leaning on the handle of the shovel. Then, he adds, "Hey, Jin – no offense but – " he turns to Taehyung, " – I don't think it is a good idea for him to be here. He could've been at the bunker – "

" – It is okay," Taehyung says as he begins to shovel the mud. "He helped a lot with the case. He deserves to see the ending."

Namjoon eyes him suspiciously, but lets it go and joins him while Seokjin stands there still shivering from the cold.

The first wave of stink hits after 15 minutes of digging.

Seokjin takes a few steps backwards with the bible still clutched tightly in his arms.

" – didn't even try to bury her deep," Taehyung grunts as he pauses to catch a breath. "I hate uncommitted people."

The air gets cold while Taehyung kneels down, joining Namjoon to move away the layers of mud.

The stink increases, making the brothers gag.

Another layer of mud is removed, and it reveals shreds of white dress over decaying human bones.

Even from a distance, Seokjin knows it is the same dress that Anne keeps appearing in. It only makes him move even farther away.

Namjoon spills out rock salt that he pulled out from his bag over the dead girl's remnants.

Taehyung pats his pockets for the lighter to set them on fire. It is when he sighs that he realizes the abrupt increase in temperature, his own breath a white vapor.

He also realizes that the lighter is in the coat that he lent to Seokjin.

"Jin!" Taehyung calls out in alarm. "Baby, come here!"

But Seokjin is already frozen in place. Anne's usual cold silvery form starts to appear only a few feet away from him, her aura terrifyingly livid.

Namjoon tears open another packet of rock salt and quickly pours it over the bones.

Taehyung raises his gun to shoot at her but realizes that Seokjin too is in the path of the bullet. He grunts in frustration. He can't risk hurting Seokjin.

Seokjin stumbles back as her form solidifies. He trips over a stone causing both him and the bible to land on the ground.

Taehyung jogs towards him. "Jin, the lighter! It is in the pocket," he shouts. "Baby, please look at me."

Seokjin tries to gather courage as he trembles and looks for the lighter. As soon as he finds it in the inner pocket, he throws it in the direction of Taehyung.

"Joon!" Taehyung shouts as he catches it with one hand and flings the lighter to Namjoon.

Taehyung doesn't wait to see if Namjoon caught it. He jogs past Anne, towards Seokjin and tries to help him up.

"You should be dead," Anne's voice burns through their bones. She looks straight at Jin and she repeats, "You should be dead."

"Joon – fuck - light her on fire!" Taehyung roars as Seokjin cowers in his arms. He risks looking at Namjoon and there is absolute shock on his face, that mirrors his own.

Because the bones are already on fire, they are burning but Anne is only solidifying more, approaching faster.

He can hear Anne's voice repeating like a dead song, "You should be dead."

"Aren't they – the fuck," Taehyung rasps.

Then it clicks, _the bible_.

"Jin," Taehyung says, "Where's the bible? Baby – "

He spots it on the ground, a stone's throw away from him. He lets go of Seokjin for a mere second.

He picks the bible and flings it towards the grave. But it lands far away. Too far, too fucking far.

In his annoyance, Taehyung remembers about Seokjin a little too late.

Anne is already over Seokjin, one of her cold hand wrapped around his throat, the other digging into his arm.

Seokjin's eyes are lolled back, his mouth gasping for air, his hands trying to fight her off in vain.

Taehyung has to run. Taehyung has to pull him away. Taehyung has to save him.

But Taehyung is stuck in his place. His body cannot move. The air around him is squeezing him shut.

In quick replays, he remembers - the boy's tender face, the one that the ghoul ate away, the photos of the two children, who were supposed to live, who were supposed to be alive, the videos of them that were played on the local news.

" – move! Taehyung!" he hears Namjoon's voice. He hardly manages to breathe, let alone look at Namjoon.

He watches his brother drop the Bible in the flaming grave.

He can feel the cold dissipate, the air flow back into his lungs. He sees Anne's last form turn into flame, into vapor. He finally looks at Seokjin – his form curled into a tiny ball, his shoulders violently shivering, his chest heaving heavily trying to breathe.

Taehyung snaps from his state. He gets up and picks Seokjin.

"Hey, hey – " Taehyung shivers. "Look – "

Namjoon is by his side. He takes Seokjin into his arms, easing his chest, and helping him breathe.

He lifts him in his arms and takes him back to the car.

Taehyung wants to follow but his knees buckle. He falls to the ground.

He looks at his hands – there is blood – Seokjin's blood on his hands. And, he can't breathe again.

....


	12. S1 - Am I not good?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taehyung makes a mistake.

They are back at the bunker.

Namjoon is bandaging Seokjin's arm. There's blood, there's a scar, but it'll heal, Namjoon assured.

Yoongi and Hope are on the way to the bunker.

Taehyung stands, leaning on the other end of the long table, his brows furrowed, his jaw rigid, while playing with the single ring on his finger.

"Yoongi said he'll pick you up," Namjoon says as he fixes the bandage in place. "Do you want to eat anything? I'm making pasta so – "

" – no, no," Seokjin says a little too quickly. "I'm okay."

"Tae," Namjoon asks as he closes the first aid box. "What about you?"

Taehyung shakes his head slowly.

Namjoon shrugs and goes on to combat with the pasta.

There is an uneasy silence. Taehyung refuses to look up.

Seokjin gets up and walks to Taehyung. He says softly, wringing his fingers, "Thank you."

Taehyung looks at him, confused. _What is he thanking me for?_

He then sees the unintended blush in his cheeks, his shy eyes looking at his soft fingers. He looks so delicate that Taehyung wants to pack him up in a bubble wrap like a burrito.

"I – Taehyung-ie, will you – " Seokjin says, still looking at the ground, a little smile on his face. "Will you – "

"Jin!" Yoongi says as he runs down the stairs towards him. "You okay?"

Seokjin nods and engulfs Yoongi in a hug.

"Is that – does it hurt?" Yoongi fusses over the wound of his arm, and the light bruises on his neck.

"Namjoon checked. He told that it's alright. I'm okay, Yoonie. Don't w – "

"You shouldn't have left with him!" Yoongi sighs. "I am sorry. I should've been – "

Seokjin fervently shakes his head with a grin, "I am okay, Yoonie. Don't worry. He saved me, didn't he? The girl's gone now. Forever."

There is loud sound from upstairs. Yoongi and Hope exchange a look.

"He probably set the kitchen on fire," Hope deadpans.

Yoongi rolls his eyes. He says to Seokjin, "Pick your bags, okay? We'll leave in 5 mins. I'll put off the fire in the kitchen until then."

As soon as they leave, Seokjin turns back, suddenly shy. He tries, but he finds it so hard to look at Taehyung without blushing.

"Taehyung-ie," he manages. " – will you – "

Taehyung puts forth his hand, "It was nice working with you. Case resolved."

Seokjin bites his lip and takes his hand.

It's a brief shake of the hand because Taehyung quickly releases his hand and shoves it into his pocket.

"I'll make – I'll make a cake for you," Seokjin smiles, his eyes shiny, so fucking shiny that Taehyung wants to peck them. "Or – "

"That won't be necessary. We won't have to meet again," Taehyung says, his voice betraying him.

Seokjin's smile falters slowly. He asks, playing with the corner of the coat, "Wh – why?"

Taehyung raises his eyebrows, like he doesn't understand the question.

"Why won't – you are - ," Seokjin stammers, fear clouding his eyes. He mumbles, "my friend – you are – my – "

"No," Taehyung chuckles drily. "We were working a case and it is done. This is how I work. I don't go around becoming friends with everyone I help."

The fidgeting of the coat increases its pace. He can see Seokjin's chest rise and fall rapidly. He can see him swallow hard.

"You should leave," Taehyung says walking past him. "Yoongi's probably waiting."

He then hears Seokjin's voice, as brittle as broken glass, "Am I not your friend?"

A single word. "No."

"Don't you like me – is it – did I – " Seokjin says, like he is using all his energy left to form words. "did I do – "

Taehyung stands at the doorway, "No. I don't like you." He says before he disappears, "Yoongi's calling you, can't you hear?"

He doesn't wait to see Seokjin's face. He doesn't wait to hear what he says. Because if he spends another second around him he is scared he will hold him tight, and never let him go.

....

Yoongi watches Seokjin during their entire ride. The smile, the excited energy that he saw a few minutes ago in Seokjin in the bunker seems to have left him entirely. Instead, he leans his head against the window, tears streaking down his cheeks.

Yoongi waits for them to reach home, for Seokjin to tell him. Because he knows that's how it works with him. You can't know anything about Seokjin unless he wants to tell you.

It is over dinner, as Yoongi serves him japchae, that Seokjin starts shivering.

"Hey," Yoongi says, squeezing his shoulder gently. "Want to talk?"

Seokjin's eyes are now puffy, the tears still haven't stopped. He asks between sniffles, "Am I not good, Yoonie?"

"You are. You are the nicest person," Yoongi assures him.

Seokjin says between hiccups, "Then – then why doesn't anyone want to be my friend?"

Yoongi's heart breaks. He doesn't know. He really doesn't know why.

"That's not true," Yoongi tries. "You know – "

"Taehyung-ie, I thought – I thought he likes me – wants to be – " Seokjin cries, his cheek on Yoongi's shoulder. "He doesn't – "

"Did he say anything?" Yoongi asks, his voice tight.

Seokjin cries for a few seconds more before he answers, "He doesn't like me. He doesn't want to be – be my friend."

Yoongi sighs, "Hey – you know, why do you care – "

"No one – no one likes me, Yoonie. But I felt – I really thought – I am so dumb," Seokjin cries as he moves away from Yoongi. "I don't want to eat."

"You are tired, you should eat," Yoongi urges. "You hardly ate anyth – "

" – I'll sleep," Seokjin says, trembling, and brushing his eyes. "I am not hungry. I am sorry. I trouble you so much. You cooked for me and – this is why I don't have friends – "

Yoongi cups his face, "Hey, don't ever say that, okay? You don't trouble me. I love you – I love being your friend. Don't ever think otherwise, okay?"

Seokjin nods unsurely.

"Go sleep. I'll keep your food in a box. If you are hungry, eat it then, okay?" Yoongi pats his arm,

Seokjin nods again, though his tears don't stop.

As Yoongi has his dinner, he knows Seokjin is awake and crying. He can hear his muffled sniffles. He can't get himself to eat. He instead goes to his room and forces himself to fall asleep.

....

It is around 7 in the morning that Yoongi wakes up from his disturbed sleep.

He stares at the slow moving fan on his ceiling as he recollects the first time he met Seokjin – they were 5 years old, maybe 6. Seokjin was the teacher's pet – smart, quick, friendly, helpful and definitely the cutest one.

Yoongi was the shy one, the slow one – he couldn't make friends, his stubbornness annoyed the teachers, his coldness made the little kids hate him, bully him.

Except this angel. He came to have lunch with him every day, shared strawberries with him every day – even though Yoongi had nothing to give him back. But that's the thing about Seokjin he never asked for anything back.

He walks to Seokjin's door and slowly pushes it open.

Seokjin's frame is curled like a baby, the plushie wrapped tightly in his arms. He is asleep but he is still sniffling – crying in his sleep.

Yoongi didn't hate Taehyung. He is aware of his ways, of his recklessness – he wanted to protect Seokjin from him and well, that went south.

He pulls the covers over Seokjin and goes back to his room.

He picks his phone, lets out a breath and hits dial.

The tone rings steadily and then, a groggy voice answers it.

" – Hello? Is this a misdial – "

"Yo, you dumbfuck. I don't know what you said or why you said it, but Jin has been crying for hours now because your shit face. Fix this as soon as you can – " Yoongi threatens.

" – he is crying?" Taehyung asks, his voice suddenly free of all the grogginess, suddenly alert and awake.

Yoongi pauses, "Yeah – hey, can we talk some time?"

There's a sound of something – maybe the phone – falling to the ground. Taehyung stammers, "Uh, sure. Is Jin okay? I – "

" – no, you ass. He isn't," Yoongi snaps. "Fix this or I'll ask Hope to burn you to the ground – "

" – I don't think he would," Taehyung says, sounding like he is running up or down the stairs. "I don't think he would hurt a human – "

"Well, lucky for me, you are a pig. And, Hope would do anything I'll ask for," Yoongi spits before he cuts the call.

He feels better. He probably would feel better if he could punch that handsome face of Taehyung, but for now this would do. He finally falls into a peaceful stupor.

....

"Hey," Yoongi's face appears before his eyes. "Jinnie, wake up. I am making your favorite breakfast."

Seokjin rubs the stickiness of his eyes away. He has a headache because of crying the whole night.

He smiles when Yoongi pats his head and goes back to the kitchen to make blueberry pancakes.

There is this weight on his chest. For as long as he remembered, he didn't have friends. He thought, he dreamt that once he joined this University, he'd make friends. But he didn't.

And, Taehyung. Taehyung just _felt_ different. He felt _safe_. But, well, he turned out just like all the others.

He drags himself out of bed to wash his face.

While he brushes, Yoongi calls out for him.

"Jinnie, get the door, please?" he shouts.

Seokjin walks out, with the brush in his mouth. He opens the door, his eyes widen, and then shuts it immediately.

He runs back in, spits the foam out, washes his face and comes out.

The bell rings again, but Seokjin doesn't open it.

Yoongi has to open it.

Taehyung stands there awkwardly, with a box in his hand.

"Yeah?" Yoongi asks Taehyung, as if he didn't threaten to kill him a few hours ago.

"Umm," Taehyung says. "Is Seokjin home?"

Yoongi scans him. Then turns back and looks at Seokjin.

Seokjin slowly steps out, into Taehyung's vision.

Taehyung's heart does a stupid thing. His stomach does a stupid thing too. His whole body just reacts stupidly to Seokjin.

"Hi," Taehyung says, attempting to smile.

Yoongi leaves them two and disappears into the kitchen.

Taehyung has to talk. He didn't plan what, but of course he has to.

"Hi," he says again, like the absolute idiot that is.

Seokjin's eyes are puffy red. The bruises on his neck have darkened overnight. He is still in Taehyung's olive coat.

"Hey – " Taehyung speaks again because Seokjin is just looking at him, with tired eyes, with nervous hands. "Umm, I'm – I got this for you."

He gives him the box – the one that Seokjin gave to Taehyung a long time ago. Seokjin slowly opens it, afraid like this would be some prank on him.

But it has a single piece of strawberry cake.

Seokjin looks at him, as if asking if it is poisoned.

"It is – " Taehyung exhales sharply. "Seokjin, I am sorry. Uh – "

"It is okay," Seokjin replies immediately, like he was never even angry with him, like he forgave him even before he hurt him.

Taehyung's eyes soften. He says, still hovering at the door's threshold, "I – um, I wanted to bake a cake, you know. I tried for a few hours, but I kept burning everything – I mixed up baking soda and salt, and the next time I added vinegar instead of vanilla essence – uh, it just – sorry, I bought it from a café nearby."

Seokjin blinks in response, waiting for Taehyung to continue.

"I am not – I am not great with feelings – " Taehyung starts. The scared look on Seokjin's face scares him. So, he corrects himself. He says, "Okay, fuck this – I like you."

Seokjin hugs the box, "You – you said – "

"Yeah, I was joking. I didn't mean – " Taehyung chuckles nervously, rubbing his nape. "I do – " He looks at Seokjin, whose eyes have pools of tears.

Jin says, as he tries not to cry, "I didn't get the - the joke. It is not funny."

"Yeah, I am not funny," Taehyung says urgently, walking towards him. "I do like you. I really, really like you."

The tears start to run down his cheeks. He sniffles.

Taehyung wraps his hands around his waist, "Please don't cry, Jin."

"I am not crying," Seokjin says, while crying like a baby.

"Oh yes, you aren't," Taehyung smiles weakly. "I am sorry, Jin."

Seokjin frowns, "I – I don't believe you – "

Taehyung's face falls, "I do. I am – I was being stupid, okay? Stop crying, please."

"No."

"Why – what is it that is unbelievable?" Taehyung asks, as he taps Jin's chin, to make him look at him.

Seokjin does lift his head, but his eyes are focused on the box. He mutters, almost inaudibly, "Why – why aren't you calling me – "

"Calling you what?" Taehyung asks. But he knows instantly when he sees the blush in his cheeks, the tipped red ears.

Seokjin mumbles, "You used to call me – call me – "

"Yeah? Call you what, baby?" Taehyung teases.

"No – no!" Seokjin snaps angrily now that Taehyung is teasing him.

"You _are_ a baby," Taehyung laughs at the pouty look of Seokjin's face.

Seokjin slaps his arm.

But Taehyung slips his hands, beneath the coat, wrapping around his waist again. He says softly, "I _am_ your friend, okay?"

"And, I like you," Taehyung adds. "a lot."

Seokjin nods, slowly wringing the corner of the coat, "Okay."

Yoongi's head pops into the living room, "Pancakes?"

Seokjin jumps away from Taehyung, his face flustered, like he was caught doing something scandalous.

"You," Yoongi says waving the spatula at Taehyung. "You can have them too."

Taehyung accepts.

They settle at the table and eat mostly in silence. Yoongi watches the smile appear more frequently than ever on Seokjin's face and that is all he wants.

....

As Seokjin picks to clean the dishes, Taehyung says, "I – I was thinking we could go out. Won't you freshen up?"

He glances at Yoongi, who pretends to not have heard that. Then, he says, "Okay, today?"

"Today," Taehyung smiles. "If it is okay with you and Yoongi."

Seokjin nods with a shy smile and leaves to his room.

Taehyung leans against the kitchen counter, and asks Yoongi, "So? You wanted to talk?"

Yoongi turns on the faucet. He hopes the sound of water will drown their voices.

He sighs, "Look, I don't like you."

"Ditto," Taehyung mutters.

"No – it's nothing personal. I like your brother but not you. But," Yoongi says raising his hand to stop Taehyung from retorting. "I am okay as long as you keep him happy."

Taehyung stares, waiting.

"Whatever happened, you not wanting to be his friend – we both know that's pure shit. But he doesn't. He will believe whatever a person says – every word of it," Yoongi says as he scrubs the pan. "It's – look, don't tell him I told you but – God – okay, he hasn't had a friend."

"In our university?" Taehyung asks as he chews on a lone carrot. "Because he is new – "

" – no, in his life," Yoongi says, "I am his only friend."

Taehyung snorts because that is impossible. How could someone _not_ want to be friends with that ball of warmth?

Yoongi angles the spoon so that the water splashes on Taehyung's face.

"Hey!" Taehyung complains. "No – I mean it – "

" – yeah, I don't care what you mean," Yoongi spits. "Just bear with him if he gets excited about wanting to be your friend. Don't fucking hurt him or I'll murder you."

Taehyung says softly, "Stop saying that. I won't hurt him – I can't."

Yoongi throws a rag and points at the dishes. Taehyung starts to wipe them clean.

"The problem is," Yoongi says, a little confused, a little annoyed. "He never cried before – whenever anyone treated him like shit. He'd smile, bow to them, and leave. He'd come back the next day like nothing happened. He never cried."

Was this supposed to make Taehyung feel special? Because he feels like shit. He hurt him.

" – so, yeah," Yoongi says handing over the last dish to Taehyung. "Be nice."

Taehyung nods.

"And," Yoongi says, a knife in his hand, pointed at Taehyung. "He wants to be a friend – a friend, F R I E N D," he spells it out. "Do not make him uncomfortable. Do not be your perverted self."

He then drops the knife on the table and leaves to his room.

Taehyung decides to make it up to Seokjin as he waits for him on the couch. He knows just what to do and hopes it'll bring all the smiles back.

....


	13. S1 - Drop the act

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seokjin and Taehyung spend some time together.

The first stop of their 'friendship-date', that Yoongi emphasized on, started at the game arcade.

Taehyung's plan was to go to the arcade, then the movies, and then out for dinner.

The game arcade – Taehyung would later refer to it has the timeless zone – excited Seokjin more than he expected. He spent so much time immersed in each of the games, screaming at the screen with his somehow-little fists every time he lost and proudly showing his winning scores to Taehyung.

God – was he competitive. He punched Taehyung when he lost points of Seokjin. He apologized immediately, but Taehyung was so in love with this side of his, he didn't care a bit.

After spending hours at the arcade, having nothing but cheese burgers and coke at the arcade shop for brunch, Taehyung decides to take Seokjin to his favorite Japanese restaurant.

"No – no," Seokjin says as they stop in front of a fancy restaurant. "This is too much for a day."

"There's nothing like too much when it's you," Taehyung winks as gets out of the car. It takes more than those words to pull Seokjin out of the car.

"Taehyung-ie," Seokjin mumbles as he trails behind.

Taehyung just drags him to his favorite seat. Not in a million years did he think he'll get anyone to this place – his secretly favorite place, his little pleasure.

"They have an all-you-can-eat combo," Taehyung says as he pushes the menu towards Seokjin.

"What will you eat?" Seokjin asks as he flips through the menu. Then, "Taehyung, this is all too costly."

"My treat," Taehyung says as he waves to the waitress. "And, don't worry about the cost please. My dad's earning enough for the next two generations too. Plus, I'll need something to blow my trust fund off."

Seokjin pauses midway. He never considered Taehyung to be rich – well, yeah, their house is huge, but it looked old and they had no adult supervision.

"Why are you here?" he asks before he can stop himself. Why would someone stay in a town like this if they were really well off?

Taehyung dictates his order and for Seokjin too. After the waitress leaves, he replies, "Well, our home belonged to my mum. She loves it so much, as much as she loves the secrets within it, and she made us fall in love with this lifestyle – the hunter way."

"The hunter way," Seokjin repeats. "She is a hunter too?"

"A marvelous one," Taehyung proudly says. "Even long after she left, we keep finding this collection of her journals and her notes, and just random people popping across the country to thank us for her help."

They wait as the waitress serves them the appetizers.

"Left?" Seokjin asks.

It takes Taehyung a few seconds before he understands. Then, he smiles, "She loves puzzles. She loves helping people. She found a case, has been following its trail for years – ever since we were little kids. Last year she finally caught a lead and she left in the middle of the night to chase it. Haven't heard from her since."

He sees Seokjin's face fall at that. Taehyung knows how ominous that sounds. If you haven't heard about someone for over a year, you do know what it means, right?

"She's a bright star, that one," Taehyung laughs. "She'll go off with a blast. Believe me, we'd know if something happened to her."

"So – sorry," Seokjin breathes. "I didn't mean – "

"No, it is obvious. You are so easy to read, baby," Taehyung says as he jumps into his prawns. "Maybe you should use the acting course to learn to be devious and deceitful."

Seokjin pouts, "I can be devious if I want to."

Taehyung presses his lips into a thin line and nods, "Sure, you can."

"I can!" Seokjin protests. "I can re-enact any villainous characters. Do you want me to be witch from Moving Castle?"

"Moving Castle?" Taehyung questions with his mouth full.

Seokjin gasps. He says, "I will make you watch all my favorite animes and movies and dramas and make you listen to all my playlists!"

Taehyung rests his chin on his right palm. He says with a endeared smile, "What's your top favorite?"

And, that one question is all that is needed to push Seokjin. He goes off about Naruto to MHA to Bleach and can't stop.

Not like Taehyung wants him to stop. His food goes cold, but his heart hasn't felt this warm in forever.

....

"Sorry," Taehyung apologizes. They had to rush from the restaurant because Namjoon needed Taehyung for a case and he insisted it was urgent.

They are back at Seokjin's place. Taehyung at the threshold, Seokjin facing him with a little smile.

"I am sorry too," he says. "But don't worry. I won't tell Yoongi."

Taehyung lets out a loud snort. He says, "You won't tell him what? That I got you home safe?"

Seokjin smiles again, but it is sad. He answers, "I can be devious too."

"What?"

Seokjin gulps and says slowly, "Taehyung, you don't have to pretend anymore. I won't tell Yoongi. I'll tell him that you are my friend. He won't know."

"I _am_ your friend," Taehyung confirms. "What should I not pretend?"

He shakes his head a little and says, "I know that Yoongi asked you to come. He must've threatened you, didn't he? He is always like that – worried that someone might hurt me. He used to do that in school too. But you don't have to worry. I won't tell him."

"No – no. I do like you. It has nothing to do with Yoongi. I am – "

" – Yoongi didn't call you?" Seokjin pipes. His eyes expectant.

Taehyung blinks rapidly and mutters, "No. He called. But – "

"Would you've come if he didn't call?" Seokjin asks, his voice stiff.

No, he wouldn't have. He would've avoided him. He wants to lie and tell Seokjin that he would've. But god, his innocent eyes make everything so difficult.

So, he replies, "N – no. I wouldn't have come."

Seokjin smiles, like he knew this would happen, the way we know fire would hurt, yet we play with it. He says weakly, "I – I knew it. Why would you come for me? You wouldn't. But it is ok. I too wanted to go out with you for a day. I meant to ask you at the bunker, but I couldn't. So, I prayed all night and God sent you to me. And, and, Taehyung-ie, I had so much fun. I've never hung out with anyone before. Sorry, I troubled you instead of letting you go. I wanted just one day – I'm sorry."

"Jin, it isn't like that. I had fun too – "

" – no. Please don't say things that I'll easily believe. I promise I won't let Yoongi know. We can wave to each other at college when Yoongi's around. I'll give you back your coat tomorrow. Thank you and sorry again," Seokjin says bowing to him. "Good night."

The doors shuts on Taehyung's face a second later and he doesn't need Hope's powers to know that Seokjin is crying on the other side.

....

There's blood on his coat, and his boots are muddy. He is sure he has a cut somewhere on his shoulder but that can wait. Hunting vampires is fun but messy.

Taehyung throws the long knife into the car's boot. He checks the car seats for anything gross. He puts the gun back in its holster and tiptoes to the window nearest to the front porch.

He knocks in a rhythm but there's a no response.

He fears he'll wake up Yoongi instead, so he risks calling Seokjin.

There's a shuffle of sheets and a husky response, "Hello? Why – "

"Open the door," Taehyung says as he knocks the window again.

Seokjin yelps.

"Shhh. Don't disturb Boongles. Open the door, come!" he urges as he knocks on the window again.

Seokjin slowly steps down and unlocks the latch on the window. He pushes it aside to find a bright Taehyung smiling at him. "Are you mad?" he whisper-yells.

"Won't you open the door?" Taehyung sighs. "It's cold out here."

"N – no," Seokjin says. "Yoonie will know – "

"But we are friends according to him. So, it'll be suspicious if you won't let me in," Taehyung says hopping on his heels. "Baby, really, come on."

"No," Seokjin stays firm. "No."

Taehyung runs his fingers through his hair and says, "Okay, change into something warm."

"Why?"

"Change."

"No."

"Alright, if you stay stubborn like this, I am going to kiss you in the middle of the campus tomorrow," Taehyung says as he walks away.

"NO! Wait – why no!" Seokjin yells after him.

Taehyung walks away to his car, ignoring the calls.

Two minutes later, Seokjin runs to his car, a fluffy peach coat over his chocolate brown Pajamas.

"If you murder me – "

"If you keep worrying, I'll kiss you," Taehyung threatens. It is not really a threat, but it shuts Seokjin up.

He sits in the car while Taehyung drives.

"Sorry, you can talk. I won't kiss you," Taehyung says as he watches Seokjin's angry frown.

"No."

"But you just talked," Taehyung says.

"That doesn't count," Seokjin argues. Then, "Shut up – what if Yoonie wakes me and doesn't find me in my bed – "

"Shh. I'll take you back home quickly, okay?" Taehyung assures him. "I want to show you something."

He parks the car to the edge of the forest. He takes Seokjin's hand into his and they both walk into it.

"Careful," Taehyung says as he holds onto Seokjin. "This is a little slippery."

Seokjin nods and takes his support to slide down an uneven, muddy slope.

"I'll carry you, if you want me to," Taehyung whispers when he falls into his arms.

He receives a shove, followed by a slap on his arm.

They take a couple of crooked turns before Taehyung finally announces, "I present to you – My Paradise!"

He then pushes away a flowery creeper.

Behind it, is a ledge made of log. But the view is that of a lake that seems to stretch into nothingness, its water shimmering like silver mercury under the moonlight.

Seokjin dumbfoundedly follows Taehyung and settles on the ledge, holding onto Taehyung's coat.

"Once," Taehyung starts. "when I was 10, I kept having these nightmare – but I didn't know they were nightmares – I thought my closet had a monster in it. I used to tell my dad, but he didn't believe me. I _knew_ monsters were real and it made everything even more confusing. So, I ran away from home – from Seoul – to my mum – to this shabby town."

"I thought she'd chide me for what I did. But she didn't. She laughed for a solid ten minutes, tears streaming down her cheeks and then, she brought me here," He says waving his hand across the lake. "She said this place helped her think clearly and she's right. Not that Kim Soomin has ever been wrong."

Seokjin inches closer and holds tighter onto Taehyung's coat, "You love her so much."

"I miss her," Taehyung says as he throws his head back to stare at the sky. "I wonder what she would say if she knows that I am friends with an angel."

"But Hope does seem like an Angel. He is – "

"You," Taehyung says smiling at Seokjin. "You are an angel, baby."

Seokjin's eyes widen, and his ears tip red.

Taehyung laughs, "You got me out of my slump – I have hunted for as long as I've walked. You, with your softness around the edges, your kind heart, you are the reason I decided to solve a case."

"Yeah, I would've avoided you if your Boongi didn't call me. But I don't think I have the strength to be away from you for long," Taehyung continues. "I do really like you."

Seokjin looks down, his eyes focused on their feet swinging over the rippling water.

"Then, but, you said, why did you lie at the bunker?" he asks.

"I hurt you and I felt – I still feel that if you are with me, I'll put you in danger," Taehyung explains as he watches the glow of Seokjin's face. "I can't see you in pain – it hurts."

Seokjin glances quickly at him and then breaks into a barely contained smile.

Taehyung wraps his arm around his wait and whispers against his ear, "Do you mind if I?" Then, he boops his nose against Seokjin's cheek.

There's a slight nod, and a slight turn of his face that makes it easier for Taehyung's lips to kiss his cheek. He can feel Seokjin's fist tighten around the edge of his coat.

"I won't let you fall and drown," Taehyung says as he holds him closer. "Promise."

Seokjin finds his voice, "I don't drown."

Unusual choice of words but Taehyung files it away. For now, he wants to treasure this rare bliss.

"So, we'll go?" Taehyung teases, though he makes no effort to move.

Seokjin stiffens and asks like he didn't hear Taehyung, "Why did Namjoon-ssi call you? Was it urgent?"

Taehyung chuckles as he bumps his head lightly to Seokjin's. He says, "Yep. Kind of had to hunt down Vampires."

"Really?" Seokjin squeaks. "Real Vampires?"

Taehyung starts to narrate the events of that night as Seokjin settles his head on his injured shoulder. But he hasn't felt lighter.

....

"You are making too much noise!" Seokjin snaps as he unlocks his door. "Yoonie will wake up!"

"I was literally just breathing," Taehyung replies confused.

"You breathe too loudly!" Seokjin grunts as he pushes the door open. "Leave now, bye!"

Taehyung walks out but leaves only after he sees the door lock and the light go on.

...

Seokjin isn't the one who turns on the light though. It is Yoongi.

"Yoonie, I – " Seokjin struggles. He what? Ran off with this guy who only last night told that he doesn't like him to a forest?

Yoongi quickly walks to him and kisses his forehead. He says, "Tell me before you go, okay?"

Seokjin squishes him into a hug. "I am sorry. I am so sorry – won't go out again."

Yoongi frees himself and smiles, "No, go out but tell me. It scares me to see an empty bed."

Seokjin nods.

"Go sleep, now," Yoongi yawns. "Just because you are having fun, college won't be any less harsh."

Seokjin nods again. He squeals a 'good night' before he changes and jumps into his bed.

His phone lights up in the dark with a single message:

_'Good night, baby Angel'_

And, with that, in a long time, Seokjin dreams of the brightest meadows and the happiest clouds.

....


	14. S1 - Listen to Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something's up with Seokjin.

Seokjin waits in the library at the corner that they've begun to call their own.

He scribbles away an assignment, his eyes focused on the lines in the text book and his lips soundlessly reading the answer.

Taehyung comes back with a pile of books and dumps them next to Seokjin's own shorter pile. When that doesn't break Seokjin's concentration, Taehyung noisily drags his chair and leans his head on Seokjin's shoulder. He says, "Are you ignoring me?"

"No," Seokjin mutters as he rereads the same lines again.

"You are ignoring me," Taehyung states and pretends to move away.

Seokjin doesn't react, still immersed in the three open books.

"Oi. Isn't this supposed to be 'our-time'?" Taehyung complains. He has hardly had time to meet Seokjin in the last few days what with the constant pop-up exams, a long due list of assignments and the never-ending Vampire chases.

Seokjin's eyebrows furrow as if Taehyung is being a mere disturbance.

Taehyung sighs as he sits back and runs his hand over Seokjin's head, "You are doing that thing, baby."

"Uh?" Seokjin says his eyes closing momentarily as he soaks in the warmth of the touch.

"You are stressing yourself and zoning out," Taehyung says. "Do you need any – "

"I'm falling behind," Seokjin mutters as he puts his pen down.

Taehyung notices the red creases on his fingers and takes them into his hand. "You aren't," he says. "You are doing just fine. Didn't you get an A grade in all of the pop-up quizzes?"

"Yeah – no," Seokjin sighs as he rests his head on the table. "Just this one subject. I got a C grade thrice in this. I need to do good on the assignments to average out the grades."

Taehyung continues to massage his fingers and suggests, "Ask your classmates to help you. Our current assignments do not have major plagiarism checks – "

"I asked," Seokjin huffs indignantly, pulling his hand away from Taehyung. "They don't want to help because ' _you already have a handsome face why do you need better grades_ ' and also ' _you have the seniors wrapped around your finger_ '! As if having this face has ever helped me before! Stupid, stupid face."

Taehyung presses his lips to not laugh out loud because Angry Seokjin is the cutest Seokjin.

"Who are these seniors that you've wrapped around your finger?" Taehyung asks as he opens his own books.

"No one," Seokjin mumbles. "I know only you and Yoongi. And, Hope."

"Hmm," Taehyung hums. "So?"

"They think – they think," Seokjin trails.

Taehyung waits, "Yeah?"

"They think we are - ," Seokjin breathes loudly. " - leave it. Nothing."

Taehyung knows what they think. Especially after they were spotted in a compromising position last week that made Seokjin ignore him for 3 days.

"The angle made it look like that," Taehyung smiles. "It was raining; you had no coat on. So, we shared one – "

"They think we kissed!" Seokjin blurts. "And a lot them don't like you. Now, they don't like me!"

Taehyung laughs and then stops his eyes in surprise. He asks, "Hey! Is that why we meet secretly in the library? Kim Seokjin – you are such a brat."

"I don't want them to think we are – " Seokjin mutters, clicking the pen nervously.

"What did they say exactly?" Taehyung asks turning entirely to face the other.

Seokjin looks away and inaudibly mumbles again.

"Huh?"

"They said, they were taunting – 'how long have you been kissing and sucking – '," Seokjin shudders. "I don't want to say it."

Taehyung pulls Seokjin's chair to make him face him. "Kissing whom?"

Seokjin looks up momentarily. He drags the tip of hid pen across the edge of the chair between his legs. "Y – you."

Taehyung pulls the chair closer, making Seokjin's eyes widen. He leans and whispers to his ear, "Why do you say it like it's a bad thing?"

"Because – because it is!" Seokjin protests. He mutters, "You are a guy."

Taehyung moves back in amusement. "Yeah? So are you." He waits for Seokjin to say something since the baby loves to go on tirades trying to prove his point. So, he is surprised when Seokjin hastily grabs his things and runs away to put the books back in to the shelf.

"Oi, answer me," Taehyung says after he chases and locks him between his arms. "Why does it matter that I am a guy?"

Seokjin's forehead creases; he recites like a prayer, "A kiss should only be between a Man and a Woman."

Taehyung chuckles, "Who is saying shit like that – "

" – Father said that it is a sin!" Seokjin says shrilly and Taehyung stops smiling because Seokjin is serious, he is almost trembling.

"Hey," Taehyung tries, running his hand over the other's arm. "It is not a sin. Baby, look at me – "

"It is! Any man who lies with another is a sinner in the eyes of the God," Seokjin shrieks, his hands turned into fists, his eyes shut tightly.

Taehyung takes a step back and asks, "Are you calling me a sinner?"

"Not – not you," Seokjin says confused. "Only those who – "

"I am," Taehyung frowns, "I've fucked men too. I am not straight by any means – I am pan."

Seokjin slowly mouths the word 'pan'.

"No – no," Seokjin mumbles. "You are not – not a sinner."

"But according to you, I am," Taehyung says, his arms crossed. "What now? I'll be damned to hell?"

Seokjin pulls his bag tighter. He shakes his head. He says, "Then, you need help too."

Taehyung sighs as he moves closer, "Baby, no. It is not – "

"No, it is!" Seokjin mutters. "It is a sin," he repeats like a prayer. He gently shoves Taehyung out of the way and jogs out of the library.

....

By the time Taehyung ends his third assignment, the sun has long set. The rain has began to rapidly increase its pace.

He stretches his limbs and rolls his shoulders to ease the tightness in his muscles. He decides to shut down the shop for the day and hit the sack early. As he shoves his things into his bag, from between the chaos of books, he finds Seokjin's lone pen.

_Maybe I should let him find his own way_ , Taehyung thinks as he too begins to click it. He groans as he throws the pen back on the table. _What was I thinking? That he'll run into my arms and confess his undying love_?

As he lets himself drown in the thoughts of Seokjin, his phone rings.

"Yo, my soulmate," Taehyung jokes.

"Is he with you?" Yoongi asks. There's the loud sound of rain splashing behind his voice.

"Who?" Taehyung replies, though his mind knows because he packs his bag faster.

Yoongi groans, "Don't joke, please. I just got home. Jin isn't here. Is he with you?"

Taehyung swallows. Seokjin left two hours ago.

He doesn't answer; he questions, "Did you call him?"

"Not reachable," Yoongi mutters, his voice weak against the rain. "Maybe he is with Hope? Did he – "

"Both Hope and Joon aren't in town," Taehyung says as he exits the library. "Did you not pick him up?"

"I was supposed to. My car fucking broke down. I asked him to come with you," Yoongi replies. "I – I am waiting for a cab. Taehyung – I don't know – when did you last see him – "

" – I'll pick you up," Taehyung yells as he runs in the rain to his car. "He – "

"No, there's – hey, my cab's here. Should I check the arcade? It's closer," Yoongi suggests, panic rising in his voice. "Will you go – "

"The church," Taehyung says abruptly. "I'll – I think he is at the church. You check the arcade. Call me as soon as you find him."

There's a hum from the other side and the click of the call.

_He is just praying_ , Taehyung tells himself. _Or singing, or just sitting in the church – he is fine._

_...._

The entrance of the church has a bunch of students taking shelter under the awning. He runs past them into the church. He has lived in this town for years but has never stepped into this church.

The inside is a typically designed church, the windows made of mosaic glasses, the wooden benches in neat rows. The power must be have been off due to the rain. The fiercely wavering candles are the only source of light.

There is one person in the very first row. _Not Seokjin._

There are two people lighting the candles – both not Seokjin.

There is another in the corner of the room – a child, not Seokjin.

Maybe he is at the arcade.

On cue, Yoongi calls and Taehyung celebrates a little too early.

"Hey – "

"He is not here," Yoongi huffs.

"Maybe he was there – "

" – the arcade shut down as soon as the rain started – so that's like 2 hours ago," Yoongi says and whistles for a cab. "Did you reach the church? Should I come?"

Taehyung stammers as he paces in the aisle between the benches, "There's no one here. Maybe – "

He stops. There's a figure, sitting on the steps, hunched onto his lap, drenched in the rain.

"Hello?" Yoongi says. "You there?"

"Yeah – yeah. I think – I found him at the Church. Go home and make food, I'll bring him," Taehyung says. "He is fine, don't worry," he lies.

He can feel Yoongi's deep exhale before he cuts the call.

"Seokjin!" Taehyung yells, ignoring the looks on the others. "Seokjin?" he says as he shakes his shoulder. "Hey, hey"

Seokjin lifts his head, his eyes half closed. He mutters, his lips pink, wet, and shivering, "Sinner."

"Baby," Taehyung says trying to help him stand up. "Get up, you are getting drenched. Let's go home."

"Yoongi is worried, okay?" Taehyung says forcing him to move. "We'll go home. Baby move, please."

Seokjin looks at him in a daze as Taehyung drags him to the car.

"Sit, sit here," Taehyung says after he buckles the seatbelt firmly. He pulls out a dry coat from the backseat and covers a shivering Seokjin with it. He pushes the water out of his hair and jumps into the driver's seat.

"Where's your bag?" Taehyung asks. "Hey, baby, your bag?"

Seokjin searches around, only realizing he doesn't have it. He murmurs, "I – I don't know."

"Don't worry," Taehyung says as he steps into the rain again. "maybe you left it in the church, yeah? I'll go get it, stay right here."

Seokjin nods numbly as he watches Taehyung run back to the church.

....

Taehyung shakes the water out of his hair as he walks into the church. In the plain view, he cannot see a bag. And, Seokjin's bag is easy to spot – a bright yellow one with unicorns on it.

He walks up and down the aisle twice, checking under the benches too.

On his third run, an old lady stops him. She says, "Did you lose anything, young man?"

"Umm, my bag," Taehyung says. "It's yellow – I forgot – "

" – oh? The one with horses on it?" she asks with a smile.

Horses? Unicorns? Yes.

"Yes, yes," Taehyung bows politely. "Do you know where it is, mam?"

"Oh, yes. I saw near the Confessional. Maybe you forgot it there after your confession?" she asks as she leads him to the room, behind the wooden camouflaged door.

Taehyung repeatedly bows and thanks her when she leaves. The room's empty except for a desk at one end, and the said 'Confessional'. Right at the foot of the door was the yellow bag.

He glances around the room again. This time he notices another door to the extreme end of the room. It is slightly ajar.

He picks the bag up and silently pads to it. He peeks into the room only to find it unoccupied.

His hunter-instincts urge him to go in, to probe, to look for something because something happened there.

But he remembers Seokjin's pale face, his glazed eyes, him shivering and alone in the rain. He decides to come back later. He does take the picture of the wooden nameplate on the door before he goes back to the car.

....

"The power won't be back soon," Yoongi says as he hands over a towel to Taehyung. He goes and helps Seokjin dry his hair.

Seokjin hasn't said much – neither in the car nor once they reached their house. He silently sat on his bed staring at his fingers.

"You should wash," Taehyung says to him. "Take a warm bath?"

Yoongi hushes him, "Have dinner first. You must be starving." He gasps as he drops the towel, "Fuck, the oven."

Taehyung picks the towel and dries Seokjin's hair as Yoongi rushes out to the kitchen.

"I – if it bothers you so much, I won't - ," he sighs. "Does it bother you so much, Jin?"

Seokjin doesn't reply.

"Change your clothes?" Taehyung says as he squeezes his shoulder. He is still in his wet ones. "Baby, you'll catch a cold."

The squeeze seems to break his daze. He opens his closet and stares for long enough before Taehyung has to pick out a warm pajama set for him.

"Change into them," Taehyung says. "I'll go see if Yoongi needs something, your emergency lights are real shitty."

Seokjin nods as he begins to unbutton his shirt. Taehyung turns to close the door when his eye catches a little, maybe unrelated detail, but he holds onto it.

....

"I burnt a couple of them," Yoongi grunts as he sets the table. "I should've made his favorites. Something to warm him – "

"Hey," Taehyung smiles. "Don't beat yourself up."

Yoongi bites his lip and says with a lot of difficulty, "Thank you."

"Your lungs almost gave up for you to say that, didn't they?" Taehyung jokes.

"Shut up," Yoongi mutters.

Taehyung sits next to the sink, watching Yoongi decorate the little cupcakes.

"So?" Yoongi says as he cranes to make sure Jin isn't around. "He isn't fine."

"Yeah," Taehyung clears his throat. "He – does he know that you are gay?"

"Bold of you to assume gender matters to me," Yoongi says. Then, "No. He doesn't. Why?"

"Is he?"

"Is he what?" Yoongi says as he pauses to refill the whipped cream.

Taehyung rolls his eyes, "Ever talked to baby about sex or sexuality?"

"Have you met 'baby'?" Yoongi snorts. "He is exactly that – baby. He never went on dates or whatever – nothing."

They shut up as soon as they hear the click of Seokjin's door. Seokjin pads down quietly and sits in the chair.

Taehyung pats Yoongi's arm. "I'll get going. I've an assignment to submit tomorrow."

Yoongi shoves two cupcakes into his hands.

Taehyung smiles and then waves to Seokjin.

He can swear though he couldn't hear that Seokjin, again, mouthed that one word.

_Sinner_.


	15. S1 - Digging more graves?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seokjin is lost and Taehyung finds him.

Seokjin walks past him, cursing himself for not being smaller. He expected Taehyung to call him – the way he teased him every single of the three days after the 'compromising' incident.

His heart thuds loudly in his head. He paces quickly to his classroom, checking the slow moving profile of Taehyung from the corner of his eye.

He counts down, three, two, one –

"Seokjin!"

He turns, his brain in autopilot because he was expecting Taehyung to call him. Only, it is his classmate – Eun-Ae.

"Hi," he says timidly but he looks past her, at the disappearing form of Taehyung towards the end of the campus garden.

Eun-Ae talks something about the assignment, hesitantly jokes about the deadlines. To anyone else, it'd be obvious that she is trying her best to flirt. But Seokjin's brain is fuzzy, wondering why Taehyung didn't call him. He responds to her in mono-syllables before she tires out and leaves to the class.

He stands rooted to the spot as if expecting Taehyung to reappear around the corner. The bell shrilly rings and he forces himself to go to the class.

....

Taehyung has never pined for anyone – maybe for his father's attention as a kid but that was his embarrassing pre-teen era.

Even now, he wants to tell himself that this is _not_ called as pining. He is just concerned for Seokjin. Because after the church incident, Seokjin avoided him for two days straight.

But Seokjin's avoidance is of a different kind – not the rude, cold shoulder ones. On the first day, he left a box of cutely designed lemon tarts. On the second day, he left the borrowed coat with a neatly bowed bunch of wildflowers.

All that, but not a word was exchanged between the two. He wasn't even showing up at their library corner. Taehyung and Yoongi however had a scheduled check on both the evenings to make sure Seokjin isn't wandering away on his own.

Today, Taehyung already texted Yoongi, asking if he was picking him up. Yoongi didn't respond yet. As per protocol, Taehyung waits at the library though he does know that Seokjin wouldn't be showing up.

As he goes through his phone gallery, he sees the picture that he took at the church. He sighs and runs a few queries on the name. The data pops up quickly – he is a reverend who has been working with the Archdiocese for about 25 years. He apparently started off young – as a 17 year old. The now 42 year old has decided to move to a smaller place owing to his age and is hence practicing at their town.

Taehyung idly scrolls down through the long list of churches he has been a part of. There was a gallery full of pictures of his from each of those churches with well-worded praises signed at the bottom of each picture.

He walks to the window from where he can have a view of Seokjin's classroom as he goes through each of the pictures. One of the pictures catches his eye – he stares at it, the familiarity of the church, the way the photo looks and the children in the photo. He tries to grapple with the memory when he realizes the lights in Seokjin's classroom are being turned off.

Yoongi hasn't replied yet so he slings his bag. He blindly takes a turn and runs into someone.

"So – sorry," the girl squeaks as she picks her fallen books.

Taehyung bows and mutters an apology as he walks away from her. He thinks he knows her, but he can't place her face. Just as he is about to exit, he remembers.

"Eun-Ae!" he calls her, but she is already gone.

Taehyung rushes in, looking for her flowy white frock and the pink cardigan.

He spots her at the reception, scrolling aimlessly on her phone.

"Hey," he waves to her. "Hi? We share a class, don't we?"

She nods politely.

"Umm, do you guys not have a class until 6:30 today? I thought your 'Mythology and Imagination' prof was hell bent on taking extra classes?" he asks trying not to sound creepy.

She chuckles and says, "Fortunately for us, he had an emergency and we were let off by 4."

4\. It is 6 now.

"All of you?" Taehyung asks.

She cocks her head a little confused but nods.

"Is anyone still in your class? Or – did you all go out – "

"Seokjin-ssi left too. I saw him leave the campus as soon as he let us out of the class," she replies, trying to cut to the chase.

Taehyung smiles embarrassed, "Thank you so much. I was waiting for him."

She bows and leaves.

....

Taehyung unlocks his car with his phone precariously held between his shoulder and his cheek.

"Yah, I already told you I've a show in the evening," Yoongi grunts. "Can you please, please drop him – "

"You told me he had classes till 6:30," Taehyung says as he jumps into the car.

"Yeah – "

Taehyung jams his keys and says, "The prof let them off early and – "

" – he left?" Yoongi asks urgently. "Did you call - "

"Not reachable," Taehyung says as he turns on the speaker and puts the phone on the dashboard.

"Okay, I'll be on my way," Yoongi replies. "Just – "

Taehyung sighs, "Hey, maybe it is nothing. He is probably on his way home. I'll call you if something's wrong, okay?"

"Yeah," Yoongi says, his voice anxious. "Okay. Call me."

....

There's thunder and lightning, followed by a sudden downpour. Taehyung just manages to run into the church and the lights go off. The few people there are quickly on their feet to light the candles.

Taehyung scans them for Seokjin though his feet are already on their way to the confessional. By habit, he readies his gun in his hand as he steps in.

The room looks like it did the last time – empty except for the desk against the wall. Two differences – Seokjin's bag isn't at the confessional and the door at the end of the room is closed.

As he silently walks towards the said door, he sees a poorly done board at the confessional saying that it is closed for today. He wonders for a second if Seokjin came here and then left for home. He curses himself for not forcing Yoongi to ask Seokjin about his confessions.

Either way, his gut asks him to go check the door. He makes sure to drop a quick text to Namjoon. There's something insidious about this whole place that isn't the way a church should be.

He leans on the door trying to eavesdrop. He waits for a good 30 seconds when there's a shrill scream before it muffles down.

Taehyung pushes the door but obviously it is locked. He swallows down his shivers and knocks on it loudly. He says, "Sir, there's an emergency. The lights are off and the candles has begun a fire."

He doesn't get a reply. He wants to break down the door, but he is no more than a human and the door is of hard teak and thick.

He urgently knocks again, "Sir! We just want to make sure to get you out safe. The fire's spreading fast!"

"Sir – "

The door opens but only a little. Taehyung recognizes the face immediately – the same one he has been learning about not half an hour ago – he looks a little more wrinkled and stressed still he is sure that it's the same guy.

Taehyung tries to peek in. He can't see Seokjin, but he spots the yellow unicorn bag in a corner.

The priest looks impassive which soon changes to fear when Taehyung points his gun at him.

"Move," Taehyung rasps. "Move – "

The priest opens his mouth to scream for help, but his voice dies when Taehyung's gun touches his forehead.

"A single noise and you'll be dead," Taehyung threatens and shoves him out of the way. He enters confident to find Seokjin there. But he doesn't.

"Where's he?" Taehyung rasps pushing the Priest to the wall. "Where – "

"I don't know – "

"Don't fucking lie. His bag is right there," Taehyung says. He trains the gun at him while pulling the silk scarf-like cloth draped over an attire next to him.

Amidst the priest's weak protests, he ties his hands and drags him to the nearest chair.

Taehyung composes himself and squats on his heels, his gun raised under the priest's chin.

"Maskell," Taehyung breathes. "Where is he?"

Maskell sighs, rather indignantly, "Child, I do not know who you are talking about – "

Taehyung pushes the nuzzle of his gun harder. "His bag is right there," he says jutting his chin in the direction. "I am asking you nicely. Where is he?"

"This is ridiculous. A lot of people come to meet me here. Some child must've left it – "

"Maskell, I really don't have the time for your bullshit," Taehyung says, his eyes closed trying not to punch him.

Maskell shrugs unhelpfully.

"Okay, fine. His name is Seokjin – he calls himself Seokjinnie," Taehyung's voice breaks a little at the last word. "He looks – he looks like a fucking angel. He comes here very often. Maskell, please – "

There's a low noise from somewhere in the room. Taehyung can almost slap himself for being stupid. A large wooden closet stands in the corner.

Maskell's eyes are still cold and calm, his voice soft and pleading. He says, "Kid, I do not know who you are looking for. If you'll let me out, I won't file a case against you. I'll help you find your friend. You are clearly on the wrong - "

Taehyung shoves a ball of tissues into his mouth before he tries to open the closet. He barks, "Where are the keys?"

The priest shakes his head weakly. Taehyung pats his robes and finds a key in one of his pockets. He rattles the closet and opens it.

As soon as the doors open, Taehyung's chest tightens.

Seokjin is crumpled in a corner, his mouth gagged, his hands and legs tied with a plastic binder. He is hardly conscious – his eyes glazed and half-lidded, drool spilling down the corners of his mouth, shirt intact but the pants undone.

Taehyung chokes down a scream as he lifts him out. He glances to make sure Maskell hasn't escaped, whose face has turned as cold as any demon he has ever faced.

He pulls the gag out of Seokjin's mouth and gets to untie the ones around his wrists and ankles.

"Jin," Taehyung manages as he zips his pants. "Look at me."

He pulls out his phone calls Namjoon.

"Joon – where the fuck are you – "

He can hear the church bells in the background when Namjoon answers, "I – I just reached the church – "

"The confessional – the room. Let all of them out and lock the room. Quick," Taehyung says and cuts the call. He takes Seokjin and props him gently against the wall.

He runs his hands over his face and says, "I never thought I'd do this to a priest but – fuck."

He punches Maskell once, then twice and he can't stop until his knuckles hurt, until Namjoon rushes to stop him.

Hope passes past them and cradles Seokjin in his arms.

Namjoon says to Maskell, "I'll remove the gag. If you scream, I'll let him shoot your brains out. Okay?"

The priest rolls his eyes.

Taehyung avoids looking at Seokjin, his heart hurting in his chest, his eyes stinging with anger while Namjoon pulls out the ball of tissue-gag.

"What did you – "

"He wanted it," Maskell says softly. "He just wanted it and I was here to hel - "

Taehyung punches him again.

Maskell pushes his jaw with the help of his shoulder and spits out blood. "Why would I lie? Ask him," he grunts.

Taehyung lunges to punch him again but Namjoon intervenes. He simply says, "Bunker."

....

Hope is the one who manages to call Yoongi. Taehyung can't get himself to look at him – he feels unreasonably guilty.

Maskell is tied better this time in a chair that was meant for prisoners.

Hope and Yoongi retire to a room to nurse Seokjin, who is still in a trance.

"You drugged him," Namjoon says, his voice gentle like a wave.

Taehyung winces as he puts ice on his now purpling knuckles.

Maskell shrugs, "He needed to be drugged."

Namjoon settles on the chair opposite to him, his legs lazily spread, hands across his chest. He smiles and for the first time Maskell looks uncomfortable.

"We'll go about this from the top," Namjoon says like he is talking to a kid. "Alright? If you misspeak, or retort, or throw a tantrum, you'll be punished, okay?"

Maskell nods unsurely.

"Okay. Now, start from when you first met him," Namjoon says as he pulls out a tiny little dagger. "Remember, no lies."

Maskell's eyes are on the dagger as he speaks, "Almost a month ago or more, he started to come to the church. An easy one to remember, that one. Moreover, the town hardly has people visiting this church."

Namjoon smiles encouragingly while Taehyung puts the ice away and picks his phone.

"I haven't met a kid of that age who is that religious. He would borrow bibles and read them well. He knew his prayers, his songs, his psalms like the back of his hand. But you know despite all that one cannot hide their queerness," Maskell sneers. "I wouldn't have bothered really if he hadn't begged me to help."

Namjoon nods as he walks to him. "That's nice of you," he says and then stabs the dagger right into his palm.

Maskell screams and Taehyung is surprised that there is still only a little fear in his eyes.

"What did I tell you, Maskell?" Namjoon pouts sadly. "I said no lies. Shall we try again?"

"But I am not lyin – "

Maskell screams again. This time because Namjoon pushes the dagger a little deeper.

"He – I gave him the version of the bible – an older one – which repeatedly talks about being queer as a sin. I used to tell him that God wouldn't forgive such sinners," Maskell groans, his words running over one another. "I knew – what a toy to play with – I knew he'd read the bible word to word. He pushed me with questions, and it was so easy to guilt him. But he wouldn't talk about it, that slut – "

Another push of the dagger. Another scream.

"Last week, he came into the confessional multiple times. He would talk about liking someone, but he couldn't go further. He would start sobbing and leave abruptly," Maskell lets out a laugh. "It is so sweet to the ears I almost came listening to him sob."

Taehyung wants to smash the nearest club into his head.

"I convinced him that I'll help him," Maskell smiles despite there being a dagger stabbed in his hand. "You probably know the boy, it's easy to manipulate him to do anything. From there, it was easy. I explained to him why it is a sin – "

"You brain washed him," Taehyung scowls.

Maskell frowns, "Well, po-tah-to, po-tae-to. He wanted to be cured. So, I made him watch queer porn – "

"Aversion therapy," Namjoon mutters.

"Ahh!" Maskell smiles brightly. "Yes. I made him watch it with his hands tied. If he got – you know, hard – I'd whip him."

Taehyung punches him. Maskell spits blood out and seethes, "I guess I now know the fag he wanted to fuck – "

In a flash, Namjoon pulls out the dagger and stabs him again. Maskell lets out an inhuman cry.

"I did tell you not to retort, didn't I?" Namjoon chides softly. "Let's not do that again. Now, if that is all - "

Taehyung exhales sharply. He says, "No. There's more. Spill."

Maskell feigns innocence.

Namjoon studies Taehyung for a second but doesn't question him. He turns and smiles at Maskell, gesturing him to continue.

"That is all," Maskell says. "I've been trying to cure him – "

"Maskell," Taehyung says his voice icy cold. "I won't kill you, no. I will watch you starve as you cry out in pain while no one can hear you. It might take days, weeks, months or years before your body will give up, but I'll try my best to make sure you are alive and suffering."

There's a flash of anger across Maskell's face.

Namjoon takes the dagger out and waits.

"He is hard to drug," Maskell mutters. He starts to feverishly shake his leg and his eyes which were focused on the Kim brothers now unfocusedly stare at the corner. "It's the same quantity as always but – I don't know – it was hard to drug him. And he used to moan in frustration when he got hard – god so good – not better than his cries though."

"I stopped it – I didn't want to," Maskell talks faster. Both Namjoon and Taehyung move closer because it is hard to understand him. "I really didn't want to but today – he said he didn't want this, that his 'friend' told him its not a sin. That all these things hurt. He wouldn't give in and it was so fucking hard to make him take the pills."

"He was slowly slipping in and – " Maskell grins abruptly making Taehyung recoil. "He looked so soft; his skin is so beautiful. Never in my whole life will I have someone so young, so pretty, so lost submitting at my knees."

"I told him I found a new way to fix this," Maskell says. His words slow down. "I am a medium to God and I am holy. I can fix him if he takes me, swallows my liquid."

"And, I almost did – almost had his pretty lips around me," Maskell grunts. "Well, oh well – you had to barge in and spoil it all."

Taehyung's violently shivering in anger.

But Namjoon pulls him out of the room.

Taehyung starts, "I'll just shoot him. We'll bury – "

"Taehyung-ah," Namjoon says weakly. "We can't – "

"We can't? Why can't we?" Taehyung yells. His anger is misdirected but fuck if he cares. "He hurt my baby!"

Namjoon nods like he understands but Taehyung doesn't think he really does.

"Joon, come on. You've got to be kidding. He doesn't deserve – "

" – we hunt monsters. Supernatural creatures, Taehyung. He is human," Namjoon tries. "We can't kill him. There'll be a blood trail – a murder investigation. And he is a priest – people will look for him."

"He can go and spill too," Taehyung retorts. "About us! About this place – Joon, no he doesn't deserve to breathe."

Namjoon rubs his neck and sighs, "Okay. We will talk about this tomorrow. It's late. He won't go anywhere but we've to deal with it as soon as we can. People will be looking for him."

"Right," Taehyung mutters.

"The fire accident and the urgent leave excuse of his that we faked won't stand for long," Namjoon says as he leaves. "But it can all wait until tomorrow."

Taehyung knows, understands, but he feels restless.

He walks to the bedroom door and hovers at the door before he pushes it open.

Yoongi is asleep in Hope's arms on the couch. Seokjin is awake and he sits against the bed's headboard.

Hope smiles, wakes Yoongi up and leaves with him.

Taehyung sits next to Seokjin. He then notices the red of the whiplashes on his chest, partially visible through his unbuttoned cotton shirt.

"I'm sorry," he says, his voice weak and useless. "I was so late. I'm so sorry."

Seokjin moves and leans his head on Taehyung's shoulder. "Scared," he croaks.

"He won't hurt you," Taehyung replies pulling him closer, taking his hand into his. "No one will ever hurt you, okay?"

He can feel hot tears wet his shirt.

"Baby," Taehyung says. "Do you still think I am – "

"No," Seokjin answers. Then, "Hope told - "

"So, you'll believe only if an actual Angel tells you?" Taehyung says, forcing a little cheer into his voice. "Us mere humans are nothing to you?"

It makes Seokjin smile a little.

"Hungry?" Taehyung asks as he strokes his fingers on his wrist. "Ate?"

Seokjin nods and points at the empty food tray.

"Good. I'll leave. Sleep well, okay?" Taehyung says as he gets up from the bed. "If you need anything – "

"Stay," Seokjin mumbles.

If it wasn't the pin-drop silence in the house, Taehyung couldn't have heard it.

"What?" he asks anyway.

Seokjin looks away and starts to fidget with the frills of the pillow cover. He mumbles even lower, "Stay. Scared."

Taehyung nods but leaves.

When he comes back, Seokjin is crying. He gets into bed and hugs him, "Sorry – fuck. I went to change, okay? It isn't very comfortable to sleep in jeans, really."

Seokjin nods into his chest. He repeats, "Scared. Stay."

"I will," Taehyung replies softly kissing his forehead. "I'll be right here. Won't leave you."

They both slip under the covers and Seokjin rests his head on Taehyung's chest.

"I am not a sinner," Seokjin says slowly, more like to himself than to Taehyung. "Am I nice?"

Taehyung smiles as he pulls Seokjin's face up. He says, "The bestest baby." Then, he says pointing to his cheek, "You don't mind if I kiss you here, do you?"

Seokjin averts his shy eyes but shakes his head.

Taehyung kisses him on his cheek, one longer than ever. His heart really wants to pull him up and kiss him on a lot more places but for now, at this moment, this would do.

"Sleep," Taehyung says. "Or we can watch – "

"School night," Seokjin says, his voice suddenly clear. "We can't miss classes tomorrow."

"You will go to college tomorrow?" Taehyung questions, genuinely shocked. "Are you crazy?"

"I've an exam," Seokjin mumbles. "I've to – I want to go. Can't I?"

Taehyung laughs, "You are mad."

"But nice?"

"Absolutely wonderful," Taehyung says, and he steals another kiss on his cheek. "Good night."

He waits for an answer and it comes in the form of light snores on his chest.

He too falls asleep at the realization that Seokjin can replace the weight on his chest with his own and heal him all too easily.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick pointers: Taehyung urges Maskell to talk more because he remembers Seokjin's pants being undone the last time they found him and this time too. Also, the pictures that he sees of him online make him uneasy for reasons he doesn't yet know.
> 
> The name Maskell is of an actual person who did similar things in real life. I hate him. You know what's worse? He didn't suffer at all for his sins.
> 
> If you have any questions, do ask. :)


	16. S1 - Skeletons in the closet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Namjoon finds more than what they see.

Taehyung woke up to the unfamiliar presence of someone in the bed. His instincts made him grab the knife under the pillow. Under the soft morning light, Seokjin’s squished cheeks and pouty lips peek from between the layers of blankets. Taehyung both sighed in relief and agony before he ran out of the room.

Now, he waits patiently (partially dreaming about Seokjin’s pink cheeks and lips) for Namjoon who has been going through old newspapers and clicking away on his laptop.

“Tell me you are finding ways to get away with his murder,” Taehyung finally says tapping on the wooden table.

Namjoon lifts a finger and says, “So, I almost fell asleep when I remembered one thing that Maskell said.”

Taehyung leans forward on the table with interest.

“He said,” Namjoon continues, his eyes still focused on the laptop. “when talking about drugging Seokjin, ‘ _this usually works_ ’ – what usually works? What did he mean? – “

“ – not his first time,” Taehyung says his fist tightening over the knife’s handle. “He must’ve hurt a lot more people.”

Namjoon claps his hands once, “Exactly. It was a slip-up because he was frustrated. So, I went through archives, posts, random groups on Facebook and reddit. I found a pattern although scattered.”

They both glance at the door – a old habit – to make sure no one’s eavesdropping before Namjoon continues. He says, “Ever since Maskell has started to work with the Archdiocese, he has been transferred many times. He has worked at schools too, at orphanages.”

“Look,” Namjoon says as he pushes the laptop towards Taehyung. “Almost every time he got transferred there has been an allegation of sexual abuse – no names just vague descriptions. We can call it a coincidence, but I don’t believe in that. Data always speaks more.”

Taehyung scrolls his way through all the documentation that Namjoon prepared. He says, “Gives us even more reason to end him.”

Namjoon scrunches his nose, the way he does when he has to say something he isn’t comfortable with. “Tae, I was thinking – the Archdiocese knew about it or else why would they parcel him away? That means there are people who back him – “

“And, there might be more such horrendous creatures lurking and hurting the innocent,” Taehyung completes.

“Maybe as we speak someone’s in the same place as Seokjin was,” Namjoon agrees. “And, not every Seokjin has you, has us. So – “

“Where did you find this?” Taehyung cuts him short. “This picture? Do you’ve more details?”

Namjoon crowds next to him and peers down the picture. He switches through tabs of his browser before he finally stops at one. “This one? Ah. That was the first orphanage that he worked at. He was 18? 19? Not older than that. But he wasn’t transferred from there until 5 years later – “

“I know this place,” Taehyung mutters as he walks away to the evidence room. He returns with a carton and puts it next to the laptop. “Anne,” he says.

“We found this at her place.” Taehyung says as he pulls out the photo frame with the eerie picture of mourning children and the dead-smiled nun. “Look at the chapel behind this. It looks like the one here.”

He scrolls through the document that Namjoon made. Then, “When was Maskell there? At the orphanage?”

“Uh – from around 1994, maybe? He was there until ’98 or ’99,” Namjoon says ruffling through old newspapers. “I had it – “

“This picture,” Taehyung says as he flips over the photo. “It was taken in ’96. Joon, do you think Anne’s case is related to him?”

Namjoon’s face pales. He asks, “How did she die?”

“By suicide,” Taehyung says and then stills. “But she had no funeral. No one knew where she was buried. How is that even possible? Fuck, why did I not think about that!”

Namjoon rushes, afraid Taehyung might begin to beat himself up again. “Should we just ask him? We’ve our ways.”

“Okay, but can we wait until they leave to college?” Taehyung says, still staring at the picture. “Baby wants to go to college. He has an exam.”

“Baby wants to what?” Namjoon chuckles as he piles up the paper. He waits for Taehyung to come up before he can lock the bunker. He adds, “Baby really is one of a kind.”

Taehyung tucks the laptop under his arm and follows Namjoon out to the dining room for breakfast. He says quietly, with a tone somewhere between a warning and a note, “Don’t you ever call him baby.”

Namjoon exhales sharply and ignores.

….

“That went well,” Namjoon sighs as they come down to the bunker.

Taehyung can’t help but smile because Seokjin and Yoongi had a ‘fight’, which involved Yoongi softly whining about Seokjin being careless and Seokjin just pouting in anger.

Of course, Seokjin won. Yoongi too decided to leave to college because he didn’t want the elder one out of his sight.

And, the best of all, Seokjin had to borrow clothes from Taehyung. He picked a blue striped shirt of his that fit him too perfectly. The grey jeans awkwardly ended at his ankles. Despite Hope’s comments that he had weird legs; Taehyung found himself gaping at how good he looked. His body curved perfectly at the right places – his broad shoulders, his tiny waist, his wide hips, his toned thighs.

Only when Yoongi elbowed him and muttered to him to not drool that he broke from his trance. Seokjin was tomato red by the time they left to college.

His smile falters as they enter the room where Maskell is prisoned.

“So?” Namjoon says pouring ice cold water on his head. “Good morning, I guess.”

Maskell throws his head back with a shudder.

“Quick questions,” Namjoon speaks as he sanitizes the dagger. “When did you start this?”

“Start what – “

“You aren’t a very good student, are you?” Namjoon sighs with a dramatic disappointment ringing in his voice. “I am a nice person, Maskell. All you’ve to do is answer my questions without any lies. Do not retort, do not yell, okay? Be good and you’ll be treated well.”

Taehyung asks this time, “Do you know Anne?”

Maskell smiles.

“I can’t hear you, Maskell,” Namjoon pouts before he stabs his already injured hand with the dagger. “Did you say something?”

Maskell can hardly manage a groan. He cries soundlessly.

“So, Seokjin wasn’t the first one, obviously. You’ve been doing this for long,” Taehyung says as steadily as he can. He wonders in muted horror about the number of Seokjins who couldn’t be saved. It boils his blood.

Maskell doesn’t talk for a while. When Namjoon moves to clearly hurt him again, he flinches like he woke up from a slumber. He mutters, “She recognized me, and she remembered.”

“Maskell, if you aren’t loud – “

“She recognized me,” Maskell says in a voice as clear as his dried throat can manage to. “Anne – she was at the orphanage where I first worked. Fr. Ted was in charge back then. He – he taught me how to help others. He helped one of the altar boys – Charles, his name was – and I watched him do it. Anne, Anne was Charles’s sister – not own, of course. But he treated her like one. She was 4 or 5 years old maybe? A smart kid, that one.”

He coughs. Taehyung rolls his eyes while Namjoon hands him over a chained glass of water.

He coughs again before he continues, “She knew something was wrong even when she was that young. She thought Fr. Ted and I were helping him. She too grew up learning that being queer is a sin. Only to eventually realize that she is one.”

He chuckles but it turns into a coughing fit. “She came to me for help – and when she realized the way we help, she also realized why Charles killed himself. She decided to stand ground and fight for his forgotten death. She threw away her old bible, she ran from pillar to post filing complaints.”

“But the Archdiocese did nothing, did they?” Taehyung asks, his voice quivers. “They didn’t help – “

“This time they organized a committee. A lot of noise over nothing, yeah. They interrogated her for hours together. No one believed her – they pressed her for evidence. What evidence will she find? She was but a 5 year old back then,” Maskell laughs like they were sharing a joke.

He adds, “She couldn’t take it. Embarrassment, loss of money and time that she didn’t even have in the first place.”

Maskell coughs yet again and bends down to reach for the glass of water but Taehyung kicks it.

“This Father – Father Ted,” Namjoon says. “There’s not much talk about him.”

“No, sir. Fr. Ted had a lot of influence. I’ve less than him, really. He got away with a million things,” Maskell sighs. “Do not fret over him. He had a peaceful death more than a decade ago.”

“And, you know of more people?” Namjoon presses. “People like you?”

Maskell shrugs indifferently, “It’s not like we have a Sunday Club for this.”

Namjoon dunks another bucket of ice-cold water over his head.

Maskell screams.

“Oh. I guess I added salt to this one,” Namjoon smiles.

Taehyung says to Namjoon, “If he has no new information, we can kill him. I don’t see why we’ve to keep him alive. We can bury – “

“No, I know,” Maskell pipes up. “I don’t know them personally. But by word of mouth, I know.”

“I don’t trust him,” Taehyung says still looking at Namjoon. “We can just kill him – “

Maskell tries to move forward eagerly but all the leather latches keep him in place. He says, “What – what if I confess to the Archdiocese and help them find the others? I will surrender to the law. I do not care about the others. I will drag them down with me. I will.”

“We can give it a try,” Namjoon says thoughtfully. “If he lies or oversteps, you know,” he says cheerfully pointing at the dagger.

Taehyung nods but mutters about how it is easier to just kill him.

They both leave him to his pain and step out.

“I’ve a submission,” Taehyung mumbles. “Fuck, I forgot.”

Namjoon smiles, “You can go. I need more time with him.”

“Why?” Taehyung asks as he types away on his phone. “Do you think he has more to say?”

“I’ll compile a list of all the victims that he can recall and from the files. Also, I think he might’ve conditioned Seokjin,” Namjoon says as he cleans the dagger with a cloth. “I need to find the stimulus and maybe ask Seokjin to consider therapy.”

“It’ll help him?” Taehyung questions, his voice more tender than he is used to. “Is something wrong with him right now? Should I check on him?”

Namjoon shakes his head, “Just as a safety measure. I’ll find out and then if you can, ask him to come for therapy. He’ll listen to you.”

Taehyung bites his lip, “Okay. I’ll try.”

“Now, off to school. I’ve a long, long day with him,” Namjoon groans.

“I’d rather be here than in college,” Taehyung pouts but leaves.

….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do ask questions if you've any. :)


	17. S1 – Feelings are being felt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of feelings are being felt amongst NamTaeJin.

“Ugh, not again, not again,” Taehyung mutters as he runs to his car. The rains have increased their presence along with the cold – not a great combination.

He manages to just slide into the car before the clouds erupt into a full explosion of rainfall. He pulls out his phone and swipes through his notifications. He finally waits with his thumb hovering over Seokjin’s number.

Maskell was handed over to the police a week ago. He has admitted that he ran away from the church afraid of the crimes that he committed. The Archdiocese promised to look into all related sexual abuse cases.

To Taehyung, it all seemed too pretty to be true. But with the law involved there was only much he could do. Especially with Namjoon not wanting them to be close to the case at all.

It took him not much effort to persuade Seokjin to consider therapy. Since then, he has been spending almost every evening with Namjoon.

So, Taehyung doesn’t know if he has to call him. Maybe Namjoon already picked him up? He grunts in frustration and drives home.

….

Taehyung has tried to talk to Seokjin, but something changed. He couldn’t tell what changed. Seokjin has become more jittery than before. And, thanks to the abuse-case and therapy and exams, they’ve hardly had to time to even say a hello.

So, when Taehyung hears Seokjin’s voice as he steps into the living room, his heart jumps out of happiness. There’s a stupid smile forming on his face. Seokjin’s voice is a soft murmur – he missed it so much.

But when he steps into the full view of the living room, his happiness drains out. Seokjin sits pretty, all curled up with his knees between his arms, with his head resting on Namjoon’s shoulder.

Namjoon is muttering something inaudible to Seokjin, who is solemnly nodding.

“ – tomorrow we’ll try again,” Namjoon says as he squeezes his arm.

Seokjin smiles warmly, his cheeks bunching up.

Taehyung feels like he is looking at something intimate and accidentally hits the corner of the wall desk.

“Tae,” Namjoon waves. “I warmed up dinner – I did not burn it.”

“Right,” Taehyung replies to him, but his eyes wait for Seokjin to look at him. The elder one’s warm smile is replaced by nothing as he stares intently at his fingers.

“Yoonie’s here,” Seokjin squeaks when the bell rings. He swiftly picks his bag up and runs out.

Taehyung swallows his discomfort and leaves to the kitchen. He is shortly joined by Namjoon.

“This actually tastes good,” Taehyung comments. “I am surprised, Joon.”

Namjoon clicks his tongue, “A good teacher can take you far.”

“You are taking cooking lessons?” Taehyung laughs. “I’d rather just order.”

“You think I’ve time for that?” Namjoon scoffs as he dumps more food onto Taehyung’s plate. “Jin teaches me a little – he is amazing.”

Taehyung chews a little slower.

“Hey,” Namjoon says as he sits opposite to him. “About him – umm, I know you – “

“You like him,” Taehyung says abruptly, pausing his actions. “You do, don’t you?”

Namjoon rubs his neck, “Who would not like him?”

“That’s not what I meant,” Taehyung says and then smiles weakly. “You were saying?”

“We have to go to the police station again tomorrow,” Namjoon says as he cuts through the meat, though his eyes focus on Taehyung. “Another statement from Seokjin.”

Taehyung grunts and puts his fork away. “Again?”

“Again,” Namjoon nods. Then, “Will you come?”

“Joon,” Taehyung sighs. “You know the officer-in-charge doesn’t really like me.”

“I know, Yeah,” Namjoon agrees. “It’s just - they’ve been a little hard with Seokjin the last time and he is worried about tomorrow.”

Taehyung raises his eyebrows, voicing a silent ‘So?’

“He’ll feel better if you are there with him,” Namjoon rolls his eyes. “Obviously.”

“But – “

“The officer won’t be there tomorrow,” Namjoon quickly adds. “It’s in the evening, after your college. I’ll talk to Seokjin first – we’ll have a run-through about his story, his statements.”

Taehyung picks his fork again, “Okay.”

They eat and wash the dishes in silence.

Before they retire to their rooms, Namjoon quietly says, “Tae, I really can’t help it. He is nice, he is – I don’t know.”

“Right, no. It is okay,” Taehyung smiles with the corners of his lips upturned. “Don’t worry.”

“Yeah, good night,” Namjoon signs off and Taehyung does the same.

….

“They look big,” Taehyung mumbles as the officers lead Seokjin to one of their rooms. “Can’t we like watch them through a window or something?”

Namjoon rolls his eyes, chiding himself internally for asking Taehyung to tag with them. “One of them is literally half of Jin’s height. Honestly, you are scaring me more than Jin.”

Taehyung scoffs, “I am not scared.”

“I did not even say that,” Namjoon groans. He shoves a paper cup of coffee in his hand before realizing that Taehyung can’t with coffee.

“It’d be nice if they had beer here,” Taehyung mumbles, his eyes glaring in the direction where Seokjin left to as if that’d help him see through the walls.

“You can go home,” Namjoon offers. “Jin seemed fine. I probably underestimated him.”

Taehyung doesn’t reply for quite a while. When Namjoon returns from the restroom, Taehyung says, “Is he done with your therapy?”

“Oh,” Namjoon says. “Uh – not really therapy. He just likes talking without any fear of judgment. He still doesn’t open up much. I feel like you know him better than I do despite spending so many hours just listening to him talk.”

“All I know is he once had a dumb ping called ‘Oink’” Taehyung replies. “If that counts – “

“No. Not details like that,” Namjoon sighs, pushing his hair back. “You just _get_ him? You know?”

“No,” Taehyung answers as he pulls at the cut on his palm. Because he doesn’t. He knows nothing about Seokjin.

Except that he is tooth-rottenly sweet. That if given a nudge, he can talk for hours. That he thinks food is the way to one’s heart. That he can land punches well (Taehyung has received a few on his arm so he can testify). That the smallest things make him happy. That though he is mostly cold his hugs are warm. That if he loves, he loves with all his heart.

Taehyung pulls the tiny strip of skin off his palm when the officer walks to them.

“He can sign and leave,” the shorter one says to Namjoon. The taller one comes out of the corridor. He leaves to the desk at the corner with a bunch of papers.

Seokjin’s eyes are a little scared but mostly proud and Taehyung can’t help but smile as he walks directly to him.

“Good?” Taehyung asks. “Did they trouble you?”

The shorter officer raises his eyebrow, “We aren’t monsters, ya know?”

Namjoon mutters an apology and takes the officer aside to ask for more details.

“Did they?” Taehyung asks once they are out of earshot.

Seokjin smiles so softly that Taehyung shivers. Then, Seokjin says, “No. It is over, they said.”

“Oh – okay,” Taehyung breathes, raking in every detail of Seokjin’s face. Even in a mundane place like this, he glows with a light of his own. “You are beautiful,” he blurts.

Seokjin’s eyes widen, his mouth parts and one of his hand tugs nervously at the end of his shirt.

“Sorry – I didn’t mean that – “

Seokjin’s face falls, his eyes softening around the edges with worry.

“I MEAN – You _are_ beautiful. I mean _that_ ,” Taehyung laughs uncomfortably. “Just not like this.”

Seokjin looks down at his shirt to see if anything’s wrong.

“No. Not like that – ugh,” Taehyung groans.

“Seokjin,” Namjoon saves him. “You’ve to sign a couple of papers. I went through them. They seem consistent with what happened. You aren’t expected here anytime soon.”

Seokjin smiles and mutters a thanks before he goes away to be done with the formalities.

Taehyung waits in a state of repressed embarrassment.

….

Namjoon sits at the table with Hope and Seokjin. Taehyung is forced to help Yoongi in the kitchen because the latter bluntly calls him a lazy ass.

“Yoongi, my love,” Taehyung says as he chops the carrots. “I’ll ask something. Don’t be too honest.”

Yoongi glances at him and shrugs.

“Joon or me?” Taehyung asks sliding the chopped carrots into the salad bowl. “It’s about – “

“Namjoon.” Yoongi replies as he takes the last omelet off the pan. “Yeah, I know what’s it about. I’m not very fond of you. And, Namjoon is - well taller, smarter, stronger and definitely more mature than you are.”

Taehyung snorts, “What now? You too have a crush on him?”

Yoongi shakes his head as he picks the dishes, “Loyal to my man.”

Taehyung sighs and helps him with the remaining dishes. He says slowly before they enter the dining area, “You know, me too. I too would want Joon for him, yeah.”

….

“So, you can help me with my project?” Yoongi asks again. “One more rejection and I’ll kill myself.”

Namjoon laughs, “Yes. I am sure I can. My final project too was on similar lines.”

Taehyung noisily scrapes off the noodles from his plate.

Yoongi slaps his hand.

“Hey,” Namjoon says. “Jin – we can go to your village now that you don’t have to go to the police station anymore.”

Taehyung stops his bickering to look at Seokjin. _‘We?’_ His thoughts so loud he is surprised no one heard it.

Seokjin’s face lights up. “This weekend! We can, yeah. I already told Noona.”

Hope, an angel that he is (in every sense), asks for the sake of Taehyung. “What do you mean ‘we’?”

“Joon-ssi and I,” Seokjin says as he collects the empty dishes. “I was supposed to go but then Yoongi didn’t want me to go alone. So, he volunteered to drive me home. We’ll stay there for two or three days.”

“Change of place will do you good,” Namjoon smiles fondly at him.

Taehyung’s chest is cold, and it has nothing to do with the winter night. He watches them exchange words with a new kind of pain. He didn’t know how close Namjoon and Seokjin have gotten in the past few weeks.

Yoongi’s words echo in his head - _taller, smarter, stronger and definitely more mature than you are._

_Than I’ll ever be,_ Taehyung thinks bitterly.

“You said you’ll help,” Yoongi says.

Taehyung rolls his eyes, “Yeah – “ But Yoongi is looking at Namjoon and not Taehyung. As petty as it is, he feels bad that Yoongi doesn’t even trust him with washing the dishes.

Namjoon is equally startled.

“For – “

“Project – we were just talking about it. I’ve to submit the proposal by next Monday. I’ll need your help,” Yoongi says.

Namjoon blinks hard. “Someone has to drive Jin – “

“I’m sure Taehyung has no plans,” Yoongi says. “He can drive him.”

“Hey!” Taehyung begins to protest but Namjoon stops him.

“Okay. You are right. Taehyung can drive,” Namjoon says and with that the discussion ends.

Everyone helps cleaning the table off and Taehyung chances a glance at Seokjin.

To his surprise, he catches Seokjin staring at him.

For the rest of the night while Yoongi drones over his projects and Namjoon details stories of their adventures, Taehyung notices Seokjin chewing nervously on his lower lip, hardly paying attention to their talk.

It’s too late when they leave. Namjoon and Hope are already in the car waiting for Taehyung to come back from the restroom. Seokjin is off cleaning the kitchen.

There’s an awkward silence as Yoongi holds the door for Taehyung to leave. If Yoongi wasn’t there, Taehyung would’ve assumed he is being delirious or is being haunted by a ghost especially because of what Yoongi says right before he closes the door. He says, “I guess the heart wants what it wants. Yours and _his_. Who am I to stop? But Kim Taehyung – this is your last chance.”

Taehyung shivers in the winter night unsure if he has to be excited or scared about the short trip.

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently, I can still write.
> 
> Love.  
> ❤


	18. S1 – A fun road trip!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seokjin's trip to his village with Taehyung begins.

“You can drop me off at the bus stop,” Seokjin says fiddling with the strap of his bag. “I won’t tell Yoongi.”

“And what? Vanish from my house for the next three days?” Taehyung asks.

They are already on the way to Seokjin’s village and so far, it has only been filled with prolonged silence.

“N – no,” Seokjin mutters. “It’s not big.”

“I’m sure it is big enough,” Taehyung says pressing his lips together. Then, “What’s not?”

Seokjin frowns, “My – my house. My room. It’s not comfortable.”

“It is comfortable for Joon but not for me?” Taehyung asks, still sore that Jin casually chose Namjoon to go with him but is acting like this with him.

It just doesn't sit well with him. He has been trying to push the idea of Seokjin wanting spend time with Namjoon away, filing it as an act of his innocence. Clearly, he is failing. His temper has been on the edge. It's ridiculously childish but he wants Namjoon to keep his distance from Seokjin.

But there's guilt creeping up in his chest. When was the last time Namjoon even dated? Or thought about it? Isn't this the first time he even managed to say that he likes someone?

“Joon-ssi said that he won’t – he’ll go to the wildlife sanctuary nearby – will you leave?” Seokjin replies. “Leave soon?”

It stings him. But Taehyung dramatically clutches his own chest with his free hand, “You are mean, Seokjin. I know I’m not as good as Joon, but this is uncalled for.”

“No,” Seokjin frowns. “Drop me off here. I’ll go.”

“Really?” Taehyung asks. “How will you go?”

“I’ll hitchhike,” Seokjin says, his frown deepening. “Someone will give me a lift – “

“And, I’ll be murdered by your Boongles,” Taehyung gasps. “Honestly, I can’t believe I am saying this but he kind of has begun to scare me.”

“If I reach home safely, he won’t say anything,” Seokjin argues. "You don't have to come."

“And, if you don’t?” Taehyung asks, his voice dropping all the humor he held until a second ago. “I’m not dropping you anywhere except your home. I’ll leave as soon as you are there. Don’t worry.”

“I – okay,” Seokjin mutters and they fall back into an unreasonable silence.

….

Taehyung cranks up the volume to fill the silence and to stay awake on the otherwise dull journey. Seokjin shudders awake to the sudden noise.

"Slept well?" Taehyung asks softly. He didn't mean to wake him up. "We aren't at our destination yet."

Seokjin nods and then looks out of the window. "Where are we?"

"Route 342 - "

"Why?" Seokjin asks. "This is not the right way."

"Google maps disagree with you," Taehyung says defensively. "It clearly shows - "

"No," Seokjin shakes his head. "The roads - the roads must be horrible here because of the rains. I already told you before we started - "

"Now what?" Taehyung grunts. "It'll take a little longer than usual. It's not like you are doing anything."

Seokjin looks hurt. He starts to fiddle with the corner of his shirt. "I have a learning license. Joon-ssi asked me not to drive too because - "

"Oh Joon-ssi did? If he would be driving instead of me, it would've been fine I guess," Taehyung says as he rashly takes a turn.

Seokjin pulls his feet up, and his knees closer to the chest. He turns his head away from Taehyung and wills his tears to not fall.

....

“I asked you to take a right turn!” Seokjin complains. “You missed it!”

Taehyung peers through the rain splashed screen to look for a break in the divider so that they can turn around. “You should alert me before the turn comes. Not at the exact time!”

“Also, we didn’t enter your village yet. This is the outskirts – I did not expect your house to be here!” Taehyung adds angrily as he takes a roundabout.

Seokjin exhales sharply, “We stay by the farm. Had to – had to sell the house in the village because – because – “ He shudders and holds back his tears. He points and says, “The next left – immediately after that signboard.”

Taehyung takes the turn. He can’t read the signboard in the heavy rain nor can he notice the farm that they pass by. He’s been driving for quite a few hours now, his butt feels cramped, his stomach growls with hunger and he has to pee.

Seokjin’s sullen mood hasn’t helped him in anyway. Every conversation they’ve had throughout the drive ended up in disagreement. It was when Taehyung shouted that Namjoon should’ve driven him that Seokjin finally stopped talking. In hindsight, Taehyung realizes maybe that is why he was too late in asking him to take the correct right turn.

There’s a muddy road to the three storied house and Taehyung grumbles as his car drags itself to the driveway.

Seokjin jumps out of the car immediately. It takes under a few seconds for him to get drenched completely as he drags his bag from the back seat. Taehyung shouts at him to wait but the sound of rain overpowers his effort.

“Jin!” Taehyung tries again after he slings his own bag over his shoulder. “Wait!”

Seokjin turns around, his hair plastered on his forehead, his face a whole new shade of pink, that tugs at the hunter’s heart. He rubs his nose against his sleeve and pushes Taehyung’s shoulder. He shouts, “Go back. Your job is over!”

Taehyung’s now cold and wet – nothing to help his mood. He shouts, “It is raining if your pretty eyes haven’t noticed. I can’t drive back now!”

Seokjin shivers, his lips pink, chapped and trembling in the rain.

Taehyung finally notices that it’s not just rain, that Seokjin is crying. Normally, it would’ve pained him. But now, it annoys him even more. _Why is he even crying?_

He hears a voice from inside the house and Seokjin looks over his shoulder in slight panic.

“Stay – stay here tonight. Don’t say anything,” Seokjin says, hastily brushing his tears away. “I’m sorry,” he adds before he takes Taehyung by the wrist and knocks on the door.

….

The way Seokjin is a baby, Taehyung expected his parents to pull him into a hug, fuss over his drenched clothes and pamper him for the child that he is.

It does happen but it is a sandy-haired girl instead of his parents.

“Noona,” Seokjin whines while the girl ruffles his hair with a fluffy towel. She only notices Taehyung when he sneezes loud enough to compete with the thunders.

Her eyes go big in wonder. She grins widely at Seokjin and says, “You got a friend? You didn’t tell me, Jinnie!”

“Friend,” Seokjin utters the word and it tastes like rust on his tongue.

Taehyung awkwardly smiles at her. “Sorry. I know it’s late. It is raining – “

“No! Don’t say that. You can stay here as long as you want to,” she says as she hands a towel to Taehyung. “I’m Jennie, your good host and Seokjinnie’s favorite sister.”

She sounds so much like Seokjin yet not quite like him.

“You are my only sister,” Seokjin mumbles.

Taehyung smiles and replies, “Taehyung.” He bows to her as a sign of thanks.She leads them from the small room to a bigger, warmer living room. She says, “Eomma is already asleep. Appa will be back tomorrow.”

“Jae?” Seokjin asks rather timidly.

Jennie frowns, “I didn’t tell him you were coming. Tip-toe past his room, okay?”

She smiles apologetically at Taehyung, “We do not have spare rooms. There’s one that is filled with – “

“No, that is okay. I’ll take the couch,” Taehyung says quickly.

“N – no,” Seokjin says. “It gets too cold here. The window’s broken,” he says pointing to the source of the cold air. “You can sleep in my room. I’ll take the couch.”

“I’ll reheat the soup for you,” Jennie says. “Chicken good?”

“Chicken good,” Seokjin grins and both of them laugh like it’s an inside joke.

Taehyung shifts on his feet and says, “Hey – umm, I need to use the washroom.”

Jennies nods solemnly and points outside the window, somewhere far in the dark, “The one next to the barn.”

“Oh,” Taehyung mumbles and readies to leave when Seokjin groans.

“Noona!” he says to his giggling sister. Then, to Taehyung, “Come with me.”

….

The stairs are old and sound old. Like his sister suggested, Seokjin does tip-toe past two rooms on the first floor.

On the second floor, he says, “This is noona’s room.” He points to a shut door next to the stairs and says, “That would’ve been a spare but Abeonim trashed a lot of our farm equipment there.”

They finally reach like what seems to be the last floor. There’s a rustic wooden board nailed to the door that has ‘Seokjinnie’ painted in white like it was done by a child.

Seokjin opens it and waits for Taehyung to follow him. He says, “I’m sorry. It is small. There’s a motel nearby. You can go there in the morning. I’ll ask noona to – “

“You really want me to leave, huh? Bathroom?” Taehyung asks.

Seokjin apologizes again and pushes the bathroom door.

Taehyung’s frustration is slowly slipping out now that he has a roof over his head that’s not his car's and now that his butt isn’t cramped anymore but the way Seokjin is distancing himself, he knows the damage has been done.

By the time Taehyung is back, there’s a bowl of steaming soup on the little table next to the bed – or a mattress actually. He wonders where Seokjin is as he sips the soup. His stomach growls louder. He inhales the rest of it quickly. He takes the bowl down (tip-toes on the first floor) and is on the last flight of stairs when he hears hushed voices of Seokjin and his sister.

They sound like they are arguing.

“ – are overthinking!” Jennie mutters as she dries what must’ve been Seokjin’s own bowl of soup. “You can sleep in my room. I’ll take the couch.”

Seokjin stomps his feet like a kid, “Not fair, noona. I don’t want – “

He stops talking thanks to the last step on the stairs that creaks loudly as Taehyung steps on it.

Taehyung guiltily places the bowl next to the sink.

“I’ll go check the attic windows,” Seokjin says to Jennie. “If you aren’t in your room by then, I won’t talk to you, noona.”

Taehyung would’ve laughed, mostly cooed at him. But Jennie sighs in defeat and leaves them muttering about how stubborn he is.

….

Seokjin rechecks the locks on the windows (including the little one in his washroom). Taehyung watches him run around in the not-so-little room, fixing things.

It wasn’t little. Really.

The roof slanted itself to one side – to the lower end was a bed on the floor, a study table for one with a pretty shell-laced table lamp on it. The other end had a tightly stocked shelf of books, followed by a closed wardrobe and the door to the washroom. On the third wall, right opposite to the main door, were two equidistant windows.

On the wall behind the mattress bed, were taped what looked like pictures out of magazines – of camping tents on hills, of lakes, of sunrises and sunsets, of beaches and rain, of gaming arcades.

Taehyung squats on his heels to look at the pictures. He runs his fingers over a pretty one of the top of a mountain.

“I locked everything,” Seokjin says, his eyes nervously moving between Taehyung and the pictures.

Taehyung turns to see him hold out a fluffy blue blanket and belatedly notices that his eyes have puffed up even more.

“It’ll keep you warm,” Seokjin mutters. “Don’t sleep in wet clothes.”

Taehyung nods. He wants to ask why Seokjin was crying, who is Jae, why can’t Seokjin sleep here with –

“I’m sorry,” Seokjin bows again. “I’ll take you to the motel first thing in the morning. Good night.”

He forces a smile – the trademark Seokjinnie smile, before he rushes out of the room.

….

30 minutes later, Taehyung concludes he can’t sleep for unknown reasons (guilt – he knows). He shoves his hands into his pajama pockets and goes down to the kitchen for a walk (to check on Seokjin).

He makes sure to skip the last creaky step. When he turns around the corner, he hears sniffling.

Seokjin is curled like a ball under a blanket that half slipped its way to the floor. His eyes are shut but he is violently shivering.

Taehyung goes on his knees next to him, contemplating if he has to wake him up.

When he sees the tears run over the bridge of Seokjin’s nose onto his arm, he slowly nudges him.

“Baby?” Taehyung mutters, realizing as he says it that he hasn’t called him that in a long time. “Wake up. Hey?”

Seokjin curls even more into a ball, covering his eyes and ears.

Taehyung wraps his arms around him and whispers again, “Baby. Wake up. You are having a nightmare. Oi – “

Seokjin’s wet eyelashes flutter open. He is still sniffling.

“You okay?” Taehyung asks and fully expects Seokjin to lie.

“N – no,” Seokjin mumbles before he puts his head between his knees. “Anne – she – “

“Oh baby. You were having a bad dream, okay?” Taehyung soothingly runs a hand over his arm. “She’s gone. No one’s here.”

Seokjin looks at the open window, his eyes afraid but slowly nods. “Sorry,” he mumbles. “I’m sorry.”

Taehyung’s brows furrow. “I don’t know why you keep saying that. Come ‘ere.” He pulls Seokjin off the couch. “Sleep in your room. I’ll sleep here.”

Seokjin’s eyes widen. “No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Taehyung!” Seokjin whisper-yells and hits him.

Taehyung fails to restrain himself from pinching the puffed cheeks, “If you won’t, I’ll stay here with you anyway.”

Seokjin pushes his hand away. He collects his blanket and angrily trudges to his room. Taehyung follows.

….

The bed is big enough for two adults but Seokjin stares at Taehyung like he suggested to slaughter a baby calf for fun.

“Should I take permission from Boongi?” Taehyung asks. He is already settled on the left side of the bed. “Should I get a signed form from your sister?”

Seokjin hits him with the nearest plushie. “I am not a kid! I don’t need anyone’s permission.”

“Uff. Teenage hormones,” Taehyung teases and rightfully receives a couple more punches.

“Baby, sleep,” Taehyung says defeatedly. “I am tired. So are you. No one’s going to survive on that couch.”

Seokjin crawls onto the mattress, ponders with a pout and finally places the largest plushie between them.

Taehyung groans, “This is big enough only for two. Not for your plushies!”

“It keeps me safe,” Seokjin mumbles.

“It’s fat ass is pushing me off the bed,” Taehyung complains. “I’ll have to sleep on the cold floor.”

“Jin?”

“Baby?”

“Seokjin?”

Taehyung plops himself up on his elbow only to find Seokjin asleep. He rechecks the knife under the pillow, grunts, whines but soon falls asleep.

….

Seokjin wakes up, stretches, wraps his arms around his plushie and then proceeds to scream.

“Wha – “ Seokjin stammers as he wriggles away from Taehyung, noticing the plushie lying on the floor.

Taehyung shuffles around for a second before he starts to snore lightly.

Seokjin checks the clock on the table.

4:35 AM.

There’s an impatient knock on his door and Seokjin finds that reason enough to run away from Taehyung.

Jennie is dressed in blue overalls with her sweet smile on her face. She whispers, “Wanna go to the farm?”

Seokjin nods, “I’ll be down in 10.”

Jennie pats his cheek. “I missed you,” she says.

“Don’t – “ Seokjin says squirming.

“Aww, Jinnie. Why do you hate it so much?” she asks trying to pinch his cheeks.

Seokjin shakes his head, “Noona, I don’t know. I don't like it when someone touches my face.”

Jennie pouts and gives up. “Out in 10? We got a new cow.”

“Did you name her?” Seokjin asks brightly.

“You get to name her. So be quick,” Jennie grins before she leaves.

….

Taehyung wakes up only because of the sunlight burning on his face. The locked windows are wide open, and the room is so hot he wonders if he dreamt about the heavy rain.

He looks around, texts Seokjin for his whereabouts, then goes and freshens up.

While he buttons his flannel, he looks out of the window. Spanned to every corner was what looked like a Strawberry farm. To the very end on his right, he could see a row of sheds.

He exhales loudly and turns his attention to the books on the shelf. Most of them looked worn out with plastic tape holding their covers together yet they looked like they were well taken care of.

In the morning light, Taehyung realizes that the bookshelf takes most of the place in the room from the floor to the ceiling, from the end of one wall to the closet.

As he runs his fingers over the books, the door clicks open.

“You can have breakfast and then I’ll take you to the motel,” Seokjin says as soon as he enters. He is dressed in faded overalls over a loose white tee.

Taehyung abandons the bookshelf and walks to him, making Seokjin stumble backwards.

“I’ll meet you in the kitchen,” Seokjin says, not meeting his eyes. “In 5 mins – “

There’s dirt under his nails, a little on his cheeks and Taehyung can’t help but rub it away gently.

“Are you angry?” Taehyung asks his fingers light on Jin’s cheek. “Do you want me to leave?”

Seokjin’s eyes shoot up at him. He shakes his head vehemently. “This isn’t comfortable,” he says gesturing to his room. “And – and, you don’t – you don’t want to be – Eomma – I didn’t tell – “

Taehyung cups his cheek in his palm, “You didn’t tell your mum that I’ll be here?”

Seokjin slowly nods his head.

“Is that why you left me alone in the bed?” Taehyung asks, rubbing his thumb on Seokjin’s now blush cheeks. “I distinctly remember someone asking me to stay in bed with them – “

Seokjin is quick to slap his arm. “That was your house! This is different!”

Taehyung laughs, “Aww baby. I’m not going to the motel. I’ll stay here. Show me around?”

“To the farm – I’ll take you to the farm?” Seokjin asks hardly able to contain his tiny smile.

Taehyung nods slightly. Then, “Jin, I – I am sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you last evening. I don’t know – I am not angry with you, okay?”

“You – you,” Seokjin frowns. He mutters slowly, “I hate it when you raise your voice.”

“I am - I don't know,” Taehyung says. "I just - I am an idiot sometimes. I won't do it ever again."

Seokjin nods unsurely, “Promise?”

“Promise,” Taehyung replies. Then, “Your room isn’t little. It’s pretty.”

“Yours is nice and more – “ Seokjin says spreading his hands. “bigger.”

“Mine also has a creepy basement and a history of deaths,” Taehyung counters.

Seokjin’s eyes spark the way they do when he is silently happy. His shoulders ease because he starts to believe that Taehyung is really not angry or uncomfortable. He says, “We also have a basement – “

“Oo. For Bondage sex?” Taehyung jokes.

Seokjin lets out an angry whine and pushes him out of his room.

Taehyung protests, “Let me take my jacket! Jin?”

“Do not be so loud!” Seokjin reappears and lets him take the jacket. “Have breakfast. I’ll show you – “

“ - the basement for bondage sex?” Taehyung says solemnly. “Isn’t it too soon, baby?”

Taehyung marvels at the way Seokjin’s neck and ears gradually redden, at the way his cheeks all scrunch up in anger. So, he squishes those cheeks between his thumb and the other fingers.

And, that’s how he finds himself thrown out of the room again.

….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess I can still write. Or something. plstellmeitisgood.  
> I am Seokjin here. If you raise your voice at me by 0.0000001%, I am going to cry. 🦔
> 
> Winter is coming. Stay warm. DRINK WATER!!!!!!!!!!  
> Love.  
> ❤


	19. S1 – So much to learn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taehyung learns a few things about Seokjin.

“This is like a school trip,” Taehyung comments as he follows Seokjin to the farm. “Only that instead of grumpy Ms. Kat I’ve grumpy Mr. Seokjin.”

“I’m not grumpy,” Seokjin says. Then, “Do you – will you meet my cows?”

Taehyung smiles at him and nods.

Seokjin grins and takes him to the sheds – the same ones that Taehyung saw from the window.

“That’s the first cow we ever had,” Seokjin says pointing to the farthest one. “His name is moo-moo.”

Taehyung can’t tell the cows apart but the glow on Seokjin’s face is all he cares about.

“This one is new!” Seokjin says petting the nearest one. “She’s so cute. She’s sad though.”

“Uh” Taehyung says intelligently. “She’s what?”

Seokjin pouts, “She had a baby, but they took the baby away. So, she’s sad.”

Taehyung might not empathize with the cow but the way Seokjin’s face scrunches all sad makes him want to –

“We’ll find the baby,” Taehyung blurts. “Can’t you buy that calf too?”

“You think?” Seokjin asks, his eyes wide. “I’ll – I’ll ask noona. She’ll know!”

“Yeah, you do that,” Taehyung smiles.

“Oink’s sty!” Seokjin grins pointing to a messy brown sty. “Well it was his before the idiot got lost. We used to store the fodder now.”

Taehyung chuckles, “I thought you liked him.”

“I miss him a little,” Seokjin nods walking past the sty. “He loved me a lot. Always waited for me.”

“Why would he run away?” Taehyung asks.

A shadow flickers over Seokjin’s face. He shrugs and mumbles, “Got tired of waiting.”

“Uh?”

“I’ve to pick the berries. It’s the last month of the season,” Seokjin says. “You can go rest.”

“I can watch you pick the berries?” Taehyung asks with a grin. “Or, you can teach me to pick them.”

“It’s – you will?” Seokjin asks with his lips parted. “You’ll get all dirty.”

“I would love to get dirty with you,” Taehyung laughs.

And when Seokjin doesn’t get it yet nods happily, his heart hurts in a way that tells him it’s too late for him to stop from falling.

….

Taehyung is trying hard to hold onto his straw hat that Seokjin gave him while trying to carefully pick the strawberries. He didn’t want to be chided.

“Softly,” Seokjin says as he tightens the rubber strap of Taehyung’s hat. “They’re delicate, get contaminated quickly, Tae.”

“I’m hungry,” Taehyung grumbles. “It is 3.”

Seokjin giggles, “That’s why we have a heavy breakfast.”

“This is the last row,” he adds. “Noona will be back soon. She’ll do the rest.”

Taehyung sighs in relief.

….

It is after lunch that Taehyung gets to meet his parents. Knowing Seokjin and Jennie, he already has a picture of their parents in his head – the good ol’ loving couple, who adore their children more than anything.

“He’ll be here for two more days,” Jennie says after introducing Taehyung to their parents. “Jinnie will – “

“I think you should pick the rest of the berries before the sun goes down,” her dad says, not looking up from the newspaper.

Taehyung can’t ignore that he didn’t even glance at Seokjin since they’ve met. Jennie frowns but leaves.

“I hope the food is fine for you,” the mum says, but it lacks the warmth. It falls flat on his ears. She adds, “You sure Seokjin didn’t threaten you to come here?”

Taehyung laughs awkwardly. He hopes she’s joking though her blank face tells otherwise. “No – no. I just wanted time off from the usual life.”

“Jennie will take you to the village center if you want to,” his mum says looking sternly at Seokjin. “She can take a leave of – “

“I’ll – I’ll go,” Seokjin says. His voice is so low that Taehyung is sure he wouldn’t have heard him if he was another foot farther.

“Seokjin – “

“No one – no one knows me. I’ll – I’ll wear a ma - mask,” Seokjin swallows. His hands start to wring the end of his tee.

“Stop doing that,” his mum tuts. “It’s annoying.”

Seokjin stops the fiddling and tightly fists his palms.

“It’s okay,” Taehyung intervenes. “We don’t have to go to the village. I’m okay here.”

Seokjin’s mum forces a smile. She has a sharply angled face, tiny pebble like eyes and she looks nothing like Seokjin.

“I hope your stay here goes well,” she says before retiring to the dining room to talk to her husband.

….

Taehyung washes the dirt off and falls asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow. The last he sees of Seokjin is him saying he’ll go help Jennie.

When he wakes up, it is already past 9. The house is eerily silent. He goes down to find Jennie asleep on the couch with a book in her hand.

“Umm,” Taehyung mumbles. He decides against waking her up and instead dials Seokjin’s number.

“H – hey,” Jennie wakes up. She smiles at the phone next to her. “Looking for his phone? It’s here.”

“Where is he?” Taehyung asks as he takes the phone from her. “It’s kind of late. He’s not home.”

Jennie’s eyes soften. “He’s not in his room?”

“No.”

She nods, “He’ll be back. Don’t worry.”

“Back from?” Taehyung questions. It is dark. Everything is eerie. He cannot imagine Seokjin being out alone. “Is this normal?”

Jennie’s eyes dart to the staircase. She sighs, “Come with me?”

….

Taehyung pulls his jacket tighter as they walk in the cold November wind towards the farm.

“He likes you,” Jennie says. She seems to hold up against the cold better than Taehyung.

“I won’t be so sure,” Taehyung mutters.

Jennie laughs, “I am sure. He actually got someone home. I still can’t believe that.”

Taehyung wants to tell that he first wanted Namjoon to come and not him. But his voice dies in his throat.

Jennie stops walking. She runs her hand over her face and says, “Umm, listen. Jinnie – Jinnie isn’t very – I don’t know how to tell this. I’ll try again.”

Taehyung nods, confused.

“He either doesn’t care what you think about him or he likes you so much that he risked bringing you home,” Jennie says. “I could be wrong, but I heard mum complain that he wanted to go to the village to show you around.”

“That’s a big thing?” Taehyung questions over the growing thunder.

She lets out a chuckle. “Did he ever tell you that he can’t drown?”

Taehyung smiles at the memory, “Yeah, he did.”

Jennie smiles back at him and resumes her walk at a slower pace. She says, “It was after New Year’s – a month after his 11th birthday. Back then, our village had only one school. Jae and I went to the same school as Jinnie.”

“Jae is your brother too?” Taehyung asks.

Jennies nods, “Youngest one. An asshole – nothing like Jin.”

She pauses to collect her thoughts. Then, “Appa used to pick us both up. Jinnie had to walk to the end of the village and wait for him to go back and pick him up.”

Taehyung sees that she has begun to chew on her lip.

She continues, “The walk from there to our farm isn’t very far – takes around 15 minutes. That– that day, Appa had to go back to the village for some work. Jinnie didn’t know that. He was waiting to get picked up.“

“His school friends showed up,” Jennie shudders. “They wanted to show him a new lake. They took him there.”

She closes her eyes and exhales loudly. She says, “Later they said that Seokjin pushed a kid into the lake, that he too then jumped in to help the kid. That the kid almost drowned.”

Taehyung stops walking. So does Jennie.

She looks at him with tears welled up. “We found Jin at the other end of lake, hardly breathing. He was hospitalized for a month. By then, the word had spread that Jinnie tried to kill someone.”

“He would never – “ she sniffles, clarifying it to Taehyung.

“Never,” Taehyung agrees.

“He got pulled out of school – rusticated really. Eomma and Appa were furious,” Jennie says brushing away her tears.

Taehyung nods, “Anyone would be if their kid got treated like that.”

Jennie looks at him startled and starts laughing. “No wonder Seokjin likes you. They would never – haha, Taehyung-ssi, you are sweet. No one ever asked Seokjin want happened.”

She smiles sadly, “Since then, Seokjin told us a lot of times that he doesn’t drown. It didn’t make sense until one day I asked him why he says that. That’s when he told what happened.”

She lets out a wet chuckle, “They told him someone was drowning. Stupid, stupid Jin jumped in to save him – he didn’t even know how to swim. The supposedly drowning kid came out safe and sound. They left him – They left him to drown. But he somehow survived.”

Taehyung pushes his hair back and breathes out. “They were kids,” he mutters.

“Monsters,” Jennie says. “All of them here. He was shut in the house for years. He wasn’t allowed to go anywhere. At one point, people stopped buying from our farm because Seokjin worked here and they were afraid it’d be poisoned.”

“Wh – Wha – “ Taehyung stammers. “That doesn’t make sense – what?”

Jennie shrugs, “Whatever lets this village sleep.”

“That’s why he doesn’t go to the village?” Taehyung asks understanding the conversation in the evening.

“He isn’t allowed to go,” Jennie says before she starts to walk again. “Eomma and Appa don’t let him. They didn’t send him to school – ‘homeschooled’ as they say. They bought him a pig for a pet because he stopped eating or coming out of his room. I used to bring him books from the library.”

The tears are back on her cheeks when she stops in her tracks.

“Isn’t it sad that the boy who has so much love to give receives the least?” she asks. Then, “He’ll be somewhere around Oinks’s sty. I’ll leave the door unlocked for you two.”

Taehyung nods a little before he jogs towards the sty.

The fodder is neatly stacked up in piles. There’s no light at the sty except for the ones around the farm. The thunder’s rumbling louder and Taehyung shivers in the night’s cold. He walks through the maze of stacked fodder before he finds a temporarily built structure out of bamboo and hay.

Though it has a ladder to the top, Taehyung finds Seokjin at the foot of the farthest bamboo-made-pillar. He is playing with a stray stick, drawing something into the mud.

“Jin?” Taehyung calls.

Seokjin stands up with a yelp. He squeaks, “Tae! Is it too late? Did you eat? I’m sorry I forgot – “

Taehyung pulls him into his arms.

Seokjin hesitates before he hugs him back.

They stand wordlessly for a while and then Seokjin says, “Why – why did you – who told you to come here? No – no one knows.”

“I’m a hunter, you know. I hunt things,” Taehyung says as Seokjin separates from him.

“Fine. Your noona told me,” Taehyung smiles at the skeptical look on his face.

Seokjin nods, “Noona said she’ll take you to the market tomorrow. They say – there’ll be a fair too! Lots of good food. There’s a giant wheel. It looks so big in pictures – you can go – “

“We,” Taehyung corrects, as his arms fall onto Seokjin’s waist.

Seokjin shakes his head, “I shouldn’t – I can’t.”

“Why will I go anywhere if you aren’t with me?” Taehyung whispers leaning closer to him.

“You – you’ll get bored,” Seokjin says, his eyes downcast. “There’s nothing to do – “

“Baby, I will be bored if you aren’t with me,” Taehyung says and lifts Seokjin’s chin with his fingers. “Okay?”

He can see the little droplets on his wet lashes, the tracks left by dried tears on his dirt smeared face. He rubs them away and says, “You miss Oink.”

Seokjin looks up; fresh tears well up in his eyes. He stammers, “He – he was my – my only – friend.”

“I’m sorry,” Taehyung whispers and kisses between his eyebrows.

“It’s okay,” Seokjin tries to smile. “Dumb pig ran away.”

Taehyung cups his cheeks and stares longingly at his lips. He wants to kiss him, kiss that pain away.

It starts to drizzle. For the first time, Seokjin doesn’t seem to push him away so Taehyung risks moving closer.

“Good – you had to be a freak and gay,” Taehyung hears a harsh tone and Seokjin somehow is suddenly a couple of feet away from him.

Taehyung finds a boy, a striking image of the lady who claims to be Seokjin’s mother.

“That’s not really an insult, kid,” Taehyung says.

“Jae,” Seokjin smiles weakly. “How are you?”

“Great until you decided to show up,” Jaehyun sneers. “I thought you’d stay there forever.”

“I missed home,” Seokjin murmurs. “I thought – “

“You thought what? No one misses you,” Jaehyun chortles. “I am surprised you didn’t turn up dead because – “

“Alright, that’s it,” Taehyung intervenes. “I don’t care if you are his brother. I’ll dig you a hole six feet under if you keep your mouth running like that.”

Jaehyun looks mortified. “He is nothing to me!” he shouts. “And, yea. I wish he were dead. All of us do!”

Taehyung sighs, turns his head and pecks Seokjin on his cheek, leaving the elder one rooted to the place. He says, “Sorry but I can’t take his shit.”

He pulls his gun from behind, adjusts it, checks the trigger and shoots at Jaehyun’s feet.

Jaehyun screams as he stumbles back and falls on his butt.

Taehyung waits until he gets up and runs away.

Seokjin slaps his arm, “Tae! That’s my brother!”

“I didn’t do anything. These are rock-salt bullets,” Taehyung groans.

“You could’ve hurt him!” Seokjin says, half scared, half amused. “Tae – “

“You think I would’ve?” Taehyung asks offended.

“No – you – you are an idiot,” Seokjin mutters and starts his way towards the house.

Taehyung puts his gun back and yells, “Oi – we were in the middle of something.”

“Seokjin?” “Baby?”

“Shhhh,” Seokjin turns back as he starts to run. “Don’t call me that!”

“Baby,” Taehyung shouts again, chasing him. “Baby, wait for me!”

Seokjin lets out a loud laughter as he manages to escape from Taehyung’s clutches.

Neither the now pouring rain nor the cold can dampen the warmth that has found its place in Taehyung’s heart.

….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I find a thrill in postponing work and posting fanfics. Especially when I have a million deadlines. :)  
> :) :) :) :)  
> Lord, save me.
> 
> Stay safe. Love. ❤


	20. S1 – Baby’s day out.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seokjin and Taehyung spend some time together.

Taehyung knows he must’ve done something right for being able to wake up next to Seokjin.

His skin is dewy pink, his eyes gently closed, his lips slightly parted. Taehyung pushes a stray bang of his away from his eyes. His fingertips tingle to run over his cheek and touch his lips.

But he doesn’t.

It’s anyway too early in the morning (8:34 AM) so he slips back into sleep again.

….

“Noona,” Seokjin says as he hovers around in the kitchen late in the afternoon. “I’ll show him around. I won’t go to the village.”

Taehyung ties his shoe lace as he watches them.

Seokjin is dressed differently. In dull grey sweater and similar pants, with a mask hanging around his neck and a black cap that he is twisting in his palms, he looks like a shadow of his usual bright self. He spent the first half of the day invisible in his own house. When Taehyung asked him about it, he shushed him. He said, “Abeonim will go to town with Eomma. If they forget about me, I can ask noona and we can go out after they leave.”

Now that his parents did leave, Seokjin waits for Jennie to say something.

“Noona,” Seokjin mumbles, his voice weak. Then, “I’ll stay here - at home. You – you take him out.”

Jennies looks at him, surprised, “You sure?”

Seokjin glances at Taehyung and nods, “Th – there’s a fair too. You can – you can go to the market with him.”

He takes the mask off and gives his cap to Jennie. He says, “There’s a lot – a lot of work on - on the farm. I haven’t even see the melon one yet.”

Jennie takes his cap and agrees, “I wanted to go to the fair anyway.”

Seokjin smiles back at her, his eyes crinkling, “Take pictures for me.”

He doesn’t look back as he runs up the stairs to his room.

….

Seokjin comes back down in 30 mins or so – he’s changed into a white tee and worn out jeans.

“You – you didn’t leave?” he asks seeing that Taehyung is still there in the living room.

“Nyope. Your sister asked me to wait. She has some work,” Taehyung replies as he flips through the local newspaper. “Where are you going?”

“Will meet moo-moo-9 and go see the melon farm,” Seokjin answers.

“Mind if I join?” Taehyung says stretching. “I’m bored.”

Seokjin mumbles an ‘okay’ and Taehyung follows him silently.

When they reach the shed, Seokjin finds Jennie waving to him fervently. He waves back to her though all he wants is for them to leave soon so that he can quietly break down.

He thought if he’d stay silent and be good, his parents would not bother about him. Then, he can show Taehyung around – all of his secret places. Probably have ice-cream. He wouldn’t go to the fair, that he knows. Though one day he wishes he can go and ride the giant wheel. He always wondered if it was really giant. If it was, shouldn’t he be able to see from their rooftop?

But he tells himself that it is alright. That noona would go to the fair and that way Taehyung would _actually_ have fun.

Anyway, the more Taehyung would spend time with him here, the more he’ll know about him and the more he’ll begin to detest him. Seokjin isn’t ready for that yet. He wants some more time with Taehyung.

“Jin,” Jennie calls him again.

Seokjin tries to smile at her but fails miserably. He is afraid if she can see the tears he can feel stinging his eyes.

The sadness clouds his sight, literally, because until Jennie points Seokjin doesn’t notice the soft moos coming from the calf next to her.

“Moo-moo-9’s baby?” Seokjin murmurs inaudibly. Then he runs towards her in tiny steps that make Taehyung clutch his chest.

The calf nuzzles its neck into Seokjin’s soft palms like it knows he is the one who reunited it with its mother.

Seokjin’s already threatening tears spill down. His heart is overwhelmed with emotions both happy and sad; he barely manages to let out a word.

When he does, it comes in the form of a croak. He says, “Thah – Thank you.”

“It didn’t take much effort. Really,” Jennie says as she tugs at Seokjin’s sleeve. “I’ll have to go though. Need to close off the payment.”

Seokjin nods and settles on his knees, now hugging the calf tenderly.

Jennie ruffles his hair and takes leave.

“So…” Taehyung says right next to him and startles Seokjin.

“Y – you didn’t leave? With noona?” Seokjin questions stepping away from the calf. “Will – will you go in the even – evening?”

Taehyung shrugs, “Do you want to go in the evening?”

Seokjin blinks hard.

“You can ask noona,” Seokjin replies. He wants this to end soon. He needs to stop thinking about how it would be to go to the fair with Taehyung. Will he play the games? He’ll probably win the dart games. Will he win a plushie? Does he like cotton candy?

He needs to stop wondering because he won’t know. He needs to go find an isolated place where no one can see him.

Taehyung sighs audibly as he runs a hand over Seokjin’s cheeks. “Jin..”

“I’ve to leave,” Seokjin mutters and stands up, pretending as if the tears aren’t pouring down his face. It’s just a stupid fair.

Just a stupid fair with a stupid giant wheel.

And stupid cotton candy.

With stupid Taehyung.

“G – go,” Seokjin slaps his hand from his face. “You’ll miss all the good things if you get late.”

“We,” whispers Taehyung with a soft smile.

Seokjin’s rubs the tears away from his eyes. “Wha – I can’t – Shouldn’t go to the fair – “

“Kim Seokjin,” Taehyung says cupping his cheeks. “Why would I go anywhere without you?”

“Fair – “ Seokjin hiccups, tears running down faster only to be thumbed away by Taehyung. “Fun – it is – “

“Not without you,” Taehyung bumps his head with a growing smile. “Get your mask and cap?”

“Can’t go – “ Seokjin tries and breaks down. “Abeonim – “

“Okay. We won’t,” Taehyung says soothingly. “We’ll avoid the village.”

Seokjin swallows hard, still sniffling. “I – I’m sorry.”

Taehyung wants to pepper him with kisses.

“If I hear you say that again, I’ll kiss you,” he threatens because he knows it’ll work.

And, it does. Seokjin shakes his head before he goes to get his mask and cap.

….

The village is just 10 mins away from their farm. The fair is a 20 minute drive.

Seokjin sits glued to his car seat, refusing to move even after Taehyung buys the tickets to the fair.

“No one knows you,” Taehyung assures him. “You’ll have your mask on.”

“Abeonim – “ Seokjin breathes. “I can’t – I’ll hurt - no. Tae – you said we won’t come here.”

Taehyung pinches his cheek. He says, “There’s something called lying.”

“What if they know?” Seokjin asks. He is worried. He never came here in years. People might see him and recognize him as the spawn of the devil.

But the fair’s right there. He can hear the noise, the sound of people laughing and screaming on the rides, the smell of popcorn and butter wafting through the evening air.

And, he is not alone. Taehyung’s right next to him. He has a _friend_ with him.

“If they know, they’ll know that it is okay for you to go wherever you want to,” Taehyung shrugs. “If you won’t come, I’ll leave.”

“Baby?” Taehyung pleads as he clicks Seokjin’s car door open.

Seokjin pulls his mask up, lowers his cap and gets out of the car.

Taehyung immediately takes his hand into his. He says, “I’ll call this our date.”

“Ugh. I hate your mask. I can’t see your pout,” Taehyung whines at the face Seokjin makes.

Seokjin pushes him away but Taehyung laughs and falls back onto him.

….

Seokjin constantly glances around, his eyes checking every face, afraid someone might point a finger at him and scream. Or run away. Or pelt stones. Or curse him.

He is thankful for Taehyung being touchy with him – even if it’s just him intertwining their fingers together. It keeps him grounded. It reminds him that he is not alone.

“It’s big,” Seokjin says in awe, pointing at the giant wheel. “So big!”

“Want to go?” Taehyung asks though his voice feels strained.

Seokjin doesn’t peel his eyes away but he nods eagerly.

There’s a long line to the giant wheel. So, while Seokjin waits anxiously in the line, Taehyung comes back with a fluffy pink cotton candy.

Seokjin breathes out in relief as soon as he sees Taehyung. He holds out his hand.

Taehyung mistakes it as a sign of him asking for the cotton candy. Just as he hands it over to him, he realizes what Seokjin actually wanted.

“Fuck, you are adorable,” Taehyung complains. “I have never liked anything adorable but here you are,” he says and intertwines his fingers with Seokjin’s sweaty ones.

“So – sorry,” Seokjin mumbles. “I can’t eat – I’ve to remove mask.”

Taehyung rubs his thumb over Seokjin’s hand. He says, “Does anyone know what you look like?”

Seokjin shakes his head.

“You’ve your cap, anyway,” he adds. “Plus, there’s so much crowd.”

Still, Seokjin looks uneasy.

“Alright, next is our turn,” Taehyung says as the line moves forward.

Seokjin bites his lip. He has wanted this for so long. He has wanted this for years. To go to the fair, to eat cotton candy, to ride the giant wheel (or at least see it).

To have someone with him who he can call a friend.

The passenger car wobbles as they step in. Seokjin’s fingers dig into Taehyung’s palm. He sits opposite to Taehyung – hands still held together in between them.

“You can eat now,” Taehyung smiles as their car moves away from the ground. “They can’t see you up here.”

Seokjin looks at the ground. The sweet smell of the Cotton Candy tempts him. And, he wants to feel the cold air on his face.

He hesitantly removes the mask.

Immediately, Taehyung sighs loudly. He stares at him like he’s looking at Seokjin for the first time.

“You’re beautiful,” he exalts. “Stop making me feel these things.”

Seokjin blushes with his eyes wide, lips parted, slightly unsure if Taehyung means it or not. He squeaks when Taehyung moves from his seat to Seokjin’s side.

“It’s easier to hold your hand like this,” Taehyung explains showing their clasped hands. His eyes flit away from the ground and he squeezes them shut as their car goes further up.

Seokjin chomps on the Cotton Candy, marveling at how small people look. He says, “Tae. Everyone looks like ants. Tae, it’s our turn at the top. Look.”

But Taehyung isn’t looking. His eyes are closed, and he is gripping the life out of Seokjin’s hand.

“You – you,” Seokjin stares at Taehyung. “Are you scared of heights?”

Taehyung eyes shoot open. “Nope. I’m not.”

“Then, look down,” Seokjin challenges.

“I am,” Taehyung says staring at their hands.

“You are not,” Seokjin giggles. “Is this why you moved to my side of the car?”

Taehyung frowns like he’d been caught. “No.” he mumbles.

Their car stops at the top. Seokjin sees beads of sweat rolling down Taehyung’s jaw. He moves closer and says, “I’ll keep you safe, Tae. Don’t worry.”

Taehyung dares to look up, look at Seokjin. The sun’s last rays fall on his face, highlighting his sharp cheek bones, the soft curves of his face, and his usual pink lips in a blush orange.

“Safe,” Seokjin smiles assuring him.

Maybe it’s his voice, or the way he says it like he can save Taehyung from anything. Or maybe it’s the way it actually sounds true. Taehyung can’t tell what it is, but he relaxes a little though he doesn’t loosen the hold of Seokjin’s hand or take eyes off of him.

“Vie – View,” Seokjin gulps at the unwavering gaze of Taehyung. “Look at the view.”

Taehyung’s lips stretch slowly into a smile. He dips closer and kisses Seokjin on his forehead, above his ear, then his cheek.

He rests his forehead onto Seokjin’s temple. He repeats, “Safe.”

Seokjin doesn’t move or push him away. Their car moves towards the ground and Seokjin is quick to pull his mask up.

“You hardly ate,” Taehyung points out. “Take it off for some time. It is okay, baby.”

Seokjin nods but doesn’t take it off.

They walk to the game stalls furthest from the crowd. That is when he finally removes the mask and eats the rest of his Candy.

Taehyung snorts watching a kid lose a dart game.

“Ya think it’s easy?” the kid scoffs at him. “The gun is crooked, and it always misses – “

“Move aside, kid,” Taehyung grunts. He pays the shopkeeper and picks the gun. He’s got an actual gun in his back right now. He’s shot since he was a kid. This is a child’s game for him.

He guffaws and asks Seokjin, “What do you want?”

“Me?” Seokjin replies his marble eyes big.

Taehyung nods, “Pick anything.”

Seokjin bites his lip, scanning the shop contents. He finally says, “That one! Oh my God, Tae. Unicorn plushie!”

Taehyung nods solemnly and adjusts the gun. The kid rolls his eyes and urges him to go on.

He misses the first shot.

Then, the second.

He manages to hit a single balloon in the end.

The kid is on the ground laughing his heart out. Seokjin tries not to smile for the sake of Taehyung’s pride but he can’t help it.

“The gun’s rigged,” Taehyung mutters.

“Just say you lost and go,” the shopkeeper grunts and gives him a low-quality Rubik’s cube as a reward.

Taehyung pouts but takes it.

“I’ll go at it once more – “ he starts but Seokjin stops him.

Seokjin pulls his cap lower and his mask up. He says urgently, “Jae – “

Taehyung turns around to see Jaehyun walking with a group of teenagers towards them. He hasn’t noticed them yet.

“Tae – “ Seokjin pulls at his arm. “We’ll – he’ll see – “

Taehyung glances once again. He says, “Yeah, okay. Don’t worry. We’ll leave now.”

Seokjin nods and they slip back into the crowd and out of the fair.

….

“Home?” Taehyung asks as he drives out of the village.

“I’m sure he didn’t see,” he adds when Seokjin doesn’t reply.

Seokjin shakes his head, “Not home.”

“You don’t want to spend time at home?” Taehyung says. “We’ll leave tomorrow, baby.”

“Take the next left,” Seokjin says.

Taehyung raises his eyebrow but does what he says.

They twist and turn onto shabby roads until the car can’t go any further.

“Are we lost?” Taehyung asks as he peers down at the path in front of them. It’s narrow even for a person to walk let alone driving a car.

Seokjin leaves his mask and cap in the car and gets out.

Taehyung turns off the engine but keeps the lights on.

“Come?” Seokjin mumbles. It sounds less of a question and more of a request.

Of course, Taehyung complies.

They hold hands like it’s a routine to them. Taehyung’s heart skips a beat seeing that Seokjin is the one who reaches out for his hand.

Once intertwined well, he leads them down the path.

It’s dark. The car’s light throw light only until a little distance.

Taehyung turns on his phone light but slowly the clouds separate and the moon shines brightly down on them.

“Careful,” Seokjin says as they step over a large bark of a fallen tree. They walk pretty much under a wide clearing of trees.

Seokjin takes a sharp turn and then Taehyung sees it.

A small pool of water glitters under the moon light. When they reach closer, Taehyung realizes it is man-made. A concrete little pool built in the middle of nowhere.

“I found this,” Seokjin says. “Maybe when I was 8 or 9. I got lost here so many times trying to find it again. Now I remember the path well.”

He let goes of Taehyung’s hand and takes his shoes and socks off.

“Everyone has their own little place,” Taehyung smiles, thinking of his own safe place that his mum showed him. “You know like – “

Like what? Taehyung’s thoughts die, his voice dies, he is surprised that he is still alive.

Seokjin unbuttons his jeans and lets it drop to the ground.

If there was more light, Taehyung would’ve seen his blush cheeks, red ears and his well-toned legs. But the night’s on Seokjin’s side. He jumps over the pool’s wall and dips into the water.

“Won’t you join?” Seokjin asks as he resurfaces.

Taehyung’s brain is slow to respond. But he does react. He takes his coat and jeans off.

Shivering in the cold, he dips into the pool. The pool’s water is somehow warm despite the cold around.

“Scared of water too, Tae?” Seokjin teases him. His white tee is stuck to his body, his collar bones glisten with water.

“Don’t turn me on in the middle of nowhere,” Taehyung groans as he tries to pull Seokjin towards him.

Seokjin splashes water at his face and breaks into giggles.

“Stop – stop,” Taehyung screams. “Stop this – I can’t – I’ll eat you alive, Seokjin.”

“You can’t even shoot,” Seokjin chuckles. “I wanted that plushie!”

“You could’ve wanted something small?” Taehyung argues. “You wanted the biggest thing out there.”

“I like big things,” Seokjin pouts.

Taehyung stops the water-splash-fight and stares at the other. He says seriously, “I’ve big things to offer to you then.”

Seokjin pout increases. “Bigger unicorn?” he asks.

Taehyung groans and drowns himself in the water.

“Tae?” Seokjin squeaks.

Taehyung plops up from behind, hugs Seokjin and bites his ear. This causes quite an amount of screaming and flapping in water.

“Your ears were red,” Taehyung says like it is an acceptable explanation.

Seokjin tugs at his ears. “Ho – home,” he mumbles.

Taehyung’s heart sinks. He says, “Fuck, I’m sorry. I just – I didn’t think – I am an idiot.”

“You know,” Taehyung smiles weakly. “You can stay here. I’ll wait at the car.”

He swims across and throws his legs over the pool’s wall.

Seokjin just stands at the other end fumbling with the end of his wet tee when Taehyung lets out a humorless laugh.

He jumps off the wall and turns to Seokjin with the ghost of a smile on his face. He says, “This – this is why you wanted Joon to come with you. Yoongi too thought – I mean I also think he’s the better one. He would’ve never made you uncomfortable. He would know what to say – all the right things.”

“Tae,” Seokjin mutters. It is low and pleading. “It – it isn’t like that.”

“You wanted Joon,” Taehyung says and saying it out loud hurts more. “It sounds childish but gah – you wanted him here, not me. All these things would’ve been with him - ”

“ – it wouldn’t matter,” Seokjin cuts him, raising his voice a little. He waits for Taehyung to calm down and focus on him. When that does happen, Seokjin stands in the pool, right before Taehyung.

“It wouldn’t matter if he came,” Seokjin says. “Tae – I didn’t want you to come.”

“Yeah – “

“ – no, you don’t understand,” Seokjin says, his voice quivering. “You – you are not the same as him.”

Taehyung lets out a breathy laugh, “Okay. Thank you. I feel good.”

Seokjin’s eyes soften in confusion.

Taehyung turns on his heel, away from Seokjin. He says as he picks up his clothes, “I’ll be in the car.”

Seokjin stands in the pool, shivering not because of the cold. He knows he should tell Taehyung now and maybe it is okay. He had a long run with him. He took him to the fair too! Maybe that’s all he can get; maybe that’s all he deserves.

So, he says, “I didn’t, I didn’t want you to – to hate me.”

“Yet,” he adds slowly. Then, “I – I didn’t want you – I wanted you for more – for longer. Wanted you to stay with me – “

“Stay where – why would I hate you?” Taehyung asks as he comes back to Seokjin.

Taehyung hurries to brush away his tears, “I’ll stay – here? You want me to stay here?”

Seokjin nods his head a little but doesn’t answer.

Taehyung thumbs his cheek, “Hey – we’ll go home? Your parents will be angry, won’t they?”

This has Seokjin sobbing even more.

“Oi, baby – “

“ – not mine,” Seokjin says, a teary mess. “They aren’t – “

“What?”

“They aren’t my parents,” Seokjin says between hiccups. “Eomma and Abeo-nim – not mine.”

The way they treat him, based on the things Jennie and Jaehyun told him, Taehyung already had his suspicions that Seokjin was probably not their own. He cups both of his puffy cheeks, “Is this why I’ll hate you? I won’t. Your parents – “

“ – are dead,” Seokjin says, swallowing his cries and breathing in loud. “My pare – parents are dead.”

Taehyung runs his fingers on his cheek, “Baby – “

Seokjin gently pries Taehyung’s hands away from him. He says, his words unmistakably clear.

“I killed them.”

….


	21. S1– We’ll keep counting stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seokjin tells his story.

He laughed.

That’s what Taehyung did. He laughed.

The leaves, the wind, the whole planet stilled so quick, Taehyung’s head spun. Yet, he laughed. Because what does Seokjin – his Seokjin who cried because a calf got separated from its mother – what does _that_ Seokjin mean that he hurt someone?

It was an unfair response. He realizes that a little too late when Seokjin steps away from him and starts to pull on his pants, his face wrinkled with worry and anxiety.

“Hey – “ Taehyung calls him. “I didn’t mean to – Seokjin, you possibly couldn’t.”

“I did,” Seokjin murmurs and starts to walk back to their car.

Taehyung jogs next to him. “Jin, you’ll have to tell more than just that.”

Seokjin stubbornly trudges his way back.

“Jin – “ Taehyung pulls him by his arm. “Kim Seokjin! I’m sure you didn’t - ”

“What if I did?” Seokjin shouts as he halts. “Taehyung, what if I did? You’ll – you’ll not – me – won’t like me – hate me.”

Taehyung thinks about it for a second or less. He isn’t capable of comprehending Seokjin hurting someone. He is sure there’s more to the story. He shakes his head. “I’ll never not like you.”

“You’re lying,” Seokjin says immediately, rubbing away at his unending tears. “No – no one will. Bad – bad Seokjinnie.”

“You can’t decide for me,” Taehyung protests. Then, “Hey – tell me everything. I can’t – baby, I can’t understand if you are afraid to tell me things. We’ve time – all the time in the world. Try to explain?”

“Then, you’ll – you’ll leave,” Seokjin mumbles, sniffling hard, breathing through his mouth. “Won’t like – “

“Seokjin,” Taehyung sternly says as he pulls him to face him. “Don’t assume. On the way home, yea?”

Seokjin doesn’t agree but follows Taehyung to the car. They dry themselves off as much as the night wind allows them to before they start off.

Seokjin doesn’t start talking until they get out of the woods. His voice breaks like he hasn’t used it in a long time when he speaks. He says, “We – we lived in the village. I don’t – I don’t know.”

He stares at the partially dried water patterns on his pants before he resumes. This time he sounds better, like he is reading out a story.

“My parents lived in the village. They had a two-story house with a pretty garden. Just across the road lived my grandparents. They were well-respected, the kind everyone loved. The kind that arranged fairs for the church and played hosts for every event. The only problem they had was that they were childless for a long time after the consummation of their marriage. Despite visits to the doctors, despite prayers and attending congregations, they failed to conceive. The whole village sympathized.”

Taehyung stays silent. He feels it’s better that way to just listen.

Seokjin snags at a stray thread at his tee’s cuffs while he seems to build the lines in his head.

Taehyung drives at a slower speed, way slower than the minimum limit because he knows they’ll be home soon and then Seokjin might shut him off entirely.

“Then,” Seokjin continues like he never stopped, his voice still in the tone of a story-teller. “This ‘miracle-man’ came to our village. He was kind, sweet and helped resolve problems around the village. His stay was short though. So, before he left, he asked a group of villagers if they wanted something else. Everyone wished that my parents could have a baby. This ‘miracle-man’ told my parents that one day they will have a child but at a cost and left.”

“A couple of months later, my mother got pregnant. I was born eight months later. The village celebrated my birth – it was a festival. During the next one year, bad things started to happen in the village. Crop circles, dead harvest, ill-cattle, drought followed by landslides, all bad things occurred. So, when I turned one, my father wanted to throw a feast to the poor as a reminder of good old times.”

Taehyung slows down the car, gently swerving to the side of the road.

Seokjin lets out a breath and shudders. His voice goes down by an octave and the speed of his narration picks pace. He says, “The morning of my birthday the church officials came to our house to discuss with my parents about the plans. My grandparents were already there, knocking at the door. They finally had to use the spare key to come in.”

Taehyung parks the car, his eyes staring straight ahead, his hand moving from the gear in between the seats onto Seokjin’s hand.

“My parents were in my nursey. I was there too, sitting between their dead bodies, playing with a bloodied knife,” Seokjin says dully. “It scared the living lights out of everyone.”

“That doesn’t mean – “ Taehyung starts.

“My nursery was locked from the inside; the windows were too. No one could’ve come in or gone out. No finger prints were found except for mine,” Seokjin says with an eerie calmness. “The villagers did not blame me. Not yet.”

He turns his hands around, gently linking his fingers with Taehyung’s, like he is fascinated that he can do that – that simple task of holding someone’s hand.

“My grandparents took me in,” Seokjin says. “The village continued to suffer. People began to avoid me – they said I was too beautiful to be human. It once was a compliment, but it eventually turned sour. I was too beautiful to be human, that kind of beauty could only belong to the devil.”

“On the night before my second birthday, on the anniversary of my parent’s death, the village held a candle light vigil at the church. My grandparents announced that they’d hold the annual feast for the poor like his son and daughter-in-law wanted. Only that they didn’t do it the next day.”

Taehyung holds his breath and hopes, but the story was easy to guess.

“They were found dead in my nursery with me next to their bodies, playing with a similar bloodied knife,” Seokjin says, his voice lacking any emotion. “Closed doors and windows. No fingerprints. Just single stabs right into their hearts.”

“I was put up for adoption,” he continues, still playing with Taehyung’s fingers, eyes fixated on them. “No one wanted me – because I’d kill them before my next birthday, won’t I? When I turned four and killed no one in my orphanage, my distant relatives - Noona’s parents - were kind enough to take me in.”

He unlinks his fingers from Taehyung’s and clasps his hands together, like he is waiting for the audience to stand up and applaud for ending the story.

“I’m known as the devil’s spawn. People don’t look at me, it is like – umm – like seeing a black cat? Or worse. Rumors grew, that I still kill people but in secret. I wasn’t let into the church for long before the nun fought for me and took me under her wing. She died too – I didn’t kill her, I swear,” Seokjin says, his voice finally breaking. “She died in her sleep but – “

“ – but they blamed you,” Taehyung completes, squeezing his thigh gently. “You didn’t – “

“I _knew_ ,” Seokjin says so fast, like he was holding back his vomit. “I knew. I knew she died. Tae, I saw her at my window. She said I was the reason she’s dying. I see – I see dead people or people before they die. I don’t – I don’t know – “

“I told this to Joon-ssi,” Seokjin protests weakly. “I know that you know! If you paid attention, you wouldn’t have become my friend. You wouldn’t have to leave me then! Why didn’t you – I don’t want you to go – but – didn’t want – “

He quickly steps out of the car, feeling nauseated, like there’s ice in his lungs, fire on his skin, heat under eyes, thorns under his feet. He stumbles aimlessly before he falls onto the ground and maybe into Taehyung’s arms.

He screams, loud and broken. He screams, unheard apologies and for forgiveness.

He sits there on his knees, crying until his voice turns hoarse, until his eyes run out of tears, unable to discern where he is, what time it is.

He feels hollow, like all the pain he held in his chest has finally started to dissipate through his skin, through his words into thin air.

He runs his fingers over his skin, trying to see if his skin is as broken as it feels. A warm palm holds onto his, and then he realizes that he isn’t alone. That the warm seeping through his clothes isn’t his own.

“You are shivering,” Taehyung mutters into his hair.

Seokjin shivers more as if his body only realized that he is indeed shivering.

“We’ll go change?” Taehyung says as he tries to help him to his feet. “Okay?”

There’s no answer from him but Taehyung takes him back to the car.

They go home, have reheated left over soup and tip-toe to their room.

Seokjin takes bath, and by the time Taehyung is done with his, he doesn’t find the elder one anywhere in the house.

He drops Jennie a note before he jogs towards the pig sty. As he finds his way, he thinks about what Seokjin said. He thinks if it changes his feelings for him. He closes his eyes, thinking about Seokjin and he feels the same warmth – if possible it feels even better than all the times before. Maybe because he now knows and understands why Seokjin acts hot and cold sporadically; why he questions everything he does, and why he expects people to leave.

As he gets closer to the sheds, he wonders if Seokjin would’ve hidden somewhere else, now that Taehyung knows his not-so-secret secret spot.

However, when he reaches the sty, he sees Seokjin lying on the top of the bamboo-hay structure, flat on his back, spread like a starfish.

“Do I’ve place there?” Taehyung asks, halfway up the steps made of stacked fodder.

Seokjin jumps up like he saw a ghost (and that’s important because he did see them). He then hesitantly moves a little to the side.

Taehyung adjusts his ass on the cold uneven bed of hay before he lies next to him.

“What are you doing?” he asks.

Seokjin lifts his hand and points at the sky.

Taehyung looks up at the sky for Seokjin’s amusement but gasps loudly at how the dark, velvety vast sky is speckled with stars.

“It is..” Taehyung breathes. “..it’s beautiful.”

“Archer,” Seokjin mutters. His voice so low, Taehyung is surprised he could hear it.

“Archer?” Taehyung repeats.

Seokjin’s hand finds his hand. He lifts it up and traces a pattern in the air, against the sky. “Archer,” he says again. “My sign.”

“Where’s mine?” Taehyung asks just so that Seokjin would have a reason to not let go of his hand.

Seokjin tilts his head, squints as he pouts.

Taehyung’s heart weakens.

Then, Seokjin lifts their hands again. He says, “There.”

“I can’t – there’s an actual goat?” Taehyung asks, genuinely confused.

Seokjin giggles. “No, Taehyung-ie. There’s a – umm – cone like thing. See there,” he says moving his head closer so as to have the same perspective as Taehyung. “Two cones – do you see?”

“They are like horns of the goat. You can’t see the whole goat – it isn’t even entirely a goat. It is half goat, half fish. If you squint really hard, you can see a wedged triangle,” Seokjin says. “That’s yours.”

He turns to make sure Taehyung can see it. But Taehyung’s hand is limp in his own hand, which is no longer tracing the constellation. With their heads touching one another, Taehyung’s eyes are dazedly staring back at him.

Not at him.

At his –

There’s a little spark that goes off behind his eyes, like the flash of the camera. It’s short, really quick but within that span, Seokjin’s head lowers, closing the gap, reaching out to Taehyung’s parted lips.

There’s an undeniable warmth that lingers on his lips when he lurches back in surprise.

Taehyung’s face mirrors the same surprise. In every scenario he ever made up in his head, it was always him who kissed the other and never, never, never Seokjin.

“You – you keep staring at it – at my – “ Seokjin splutters, his fingers shakily hovering over his own lips, like he is afraid he’d combust if he touched them.

Taehyung slowly recovers, his hand quick to hold Seokjin’s nape, whose shoulders slump and body loosens at the touch.

This time, Seokjin sees. Eyes wide open, he sees their faces reach only a breath apart, sees their noses touch, feels their lips diligently find one another.

He feels Taehyung’s hand move up into his hair, his own lips desperately trying to move in sync with the other’s.

He gasps for a breather and feels the heat pool in his stomach, behind his ears, and at all the places Taehyung is touching him – on his forehead, on his scalp, even on his knees, that are hardly knocking against Taehyung’s leg.

“Nothing – nothing like I imagined,” Taehyung whispers, his eyes chasing Seokjin’s shy ones. “Hey, look at me?”

Seokjin doesn’t look at him. Even in the dark, Taehyung is sure his ears are cherry red. He wishes there was more light so he could enjoy that beatific picture.

He gently rubs Seokjin’s hair and asks, “Do you regret what just happened?”

Seokjin’s head snaps up. With round eyes, he shakes his head, denying it.

“Good,” Taehyung smiles before he pecks his lips again. “I was – “

“You’ll stay?” Seokjin asks. His heartbeat is so loud, it is strumming in his ears like bass drums. He is unsure if Taehyung heard him over that noise. He asks louder, kind of squeaks, “You – you’ll stay?”

“Was I supposed to leave?” Taehyung asks tenderly running his fingers over Seokjin’s pink cheeks.

“I – I told you everything,” Seokjin mutters. “Everyone leaves becau – “

“I’ll stay,” Taehyung says, and it sounds like a forever promise. He leans forward and kisses him between his eyebrows. “But you’ll have to stay too.”

Seokjin’s eyes flutter rapidly as if everything’s too unreal for him. He nods once before linking his pinky finger with Taehyung’s. He slides a little lower until his head rests on Taehyung’s chest. He says tightening his finger, “I’ll stay.”

Taehyung exhales loudly. He feels stupid holding back the tears while Seokjin repeats it like a prayer. He rubs his hand up and down Seokjin’s back, easing him into his arms.

After quite some time, with a loud sigh, Taehyung says, “I still can’t see the stupid goat.”

Seokjin giggles as he looks at the sky from the corner of his eyes. “Yours is feebler than mine.”

“I don’t think it’s there at all,” Taehyung says and kisses the top of his head. “Also, my ass is freezing.”

“You want to go in?” Seokjin asks looking up at him.

“Yes, please,” Taehyung says getting up.

Seokjin still avoids meeting his eyes yet holds onto his hand like he’d slip away into ether if he stopped holding it.

All the way back, Seokjin tries to point the stars to him. Even from the window of his room, as he lies wrapped in Taehyung’s arms, he tries to show him the other smaller stars, or the entire outline of Orion itself.

Taehyung tries too, he tries hard to see what those little shiny lights are forming. He fails.

But who is to blame him? How is he supposed to see dead stars, falling into space a million light years away when the brightest one he has ever known is right next to him?

….


	22. S1 – Come be my teacher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the way back home, Seokjin confesses about things he cannot do.

Taehyung wanted to wake up next to Seokjin, watch his soft face, and maybe steal a few kisses. He instead wakes up to a sticky note telling him that Seokjin’s out with Jennie and will be back soon.

They are supposed to leave by afternoon at least to reach home before it gets too late. So, while Seokjin is out, Taehyung freshens and packs everything, ready to leave.

When Taehyung’s hastily done with most awkward breakfast he’s ever had (with Seokjin’s dad, who pretended he didn’t exist, and his mum, who tried and miserably failed at being sweet, and his brother, Jaehyun, who Taehyung threatened to kill (and almost shot at him) not many nights ago), he rushes back to the room to find Seokjin standing and staring out of the window.

Taehyung silently closes the door, walks towards him, and kisses him on his neck.

Seokjin, as expected, screams and spills a little of the tea that he was holding in his hands.

“Hello to you too,” Taehyung chuckles.

“I – I got tea,” Seokjin mutters and puts it aside on the window sill. “We’ll leave a little before lunch – “

“Kiss me,” Taehyung mumbles, pressing the pad of his thumb against the corner of Seokjin’s lips.

“Now?” Seokjin squeaks. “ – not – Tae – “

“What do you mean by ‘now’?” Taehyung frowns. “Do we’ve a schedule? Kissing you is only allowed at night?”

“Why are you being loud?” Seokjin whisper-yells and punches his arm. “What if someone hears you?”

Taehyung sighs and crowds Seokjin between his arms. He whispers, “Okay, I won’t shout.” Then, he shouts, “KIM SEOKJIN, KISS ME!”

Seokjin presses his hand against Taehyung’s mouth too late. Taehyung takes this as an opportunity and kisses his hand.

“Tae!” Seokjin hits him again. “You – “

“Yea? Me?” Taehyung laughs at his horrified expression. He gently pushes Seokjin against the window. “Me wants yo – “

Seokjin lightly slaps his cheek and immediately pecks his lips.

“What the – “

“ – shh,” Seokjin smiles and pecks his cheek. “You are really staying.”

“Do I have to sign on a bond paper? Get it tattooed?” Taehyung asks, surprisingly unbothered that Seokjin slapped him.

Seokjin’s eyes and mouth both turn into circles as if that sounded like a logical idea.

“I was joking,” Taehyung clarifies.

“Oh.” Seokjin blinks.

“Christ – Baby,” Taehyung croons and kisses him.

Seokjin fists the corners of Taehyung’s shirt in his hands. He panics. He never kissed before. He doesn’t know how it is done. Last night, he just lucked out maybe – he still doesn’t know what he’s doing. He lets Taehyung take the lead, lets him push his tongue in.

But where does his own tongue go?

In panic, he pushes Taehyung back.

“I – I heard someone coming,” Seokjin breathes, his chest heaving.

Luckily for him, Jennie does knock on the door to inform them that she’s packing lunch for the trip.

Taehyung shouts a thank you and then to Seokjin he says, “You’ve really sharp ears. I didn’t hear shit.”

“I’ve to pack a few things,” Seokjin replies embarrassed. He hopes Taehyung gives him time to learn how to kiss. “Will you help noona? I’ll be down soon.”

Taehyung nods and kisses his temple before he takes his bag and leaves to the kitchen.

….

“Baby, I was thinking,” Taehyung says out of the blue. They are on the way back home.

“Huh?” Seokjin says as he looks up from a webtoon.

“Can we try to be honest with each other?” Taehyung says. Then, “Not that we are lying – we are just hiding things, maybe. Let’s not do that.”

Seokjin waits and nods. He goes back to reading and says, “Don’t tell anyone.”

Taehyung expected this. “About us? You are still – “

“No,” Seokjin shakes his head. “About what I told you – my parents and – don’t. I don’t want – I didn’t tell Joon-ssi either.”

“I wasn’t going to,” Taehyung assures. “What about us? Should I kiss you only in the dark when no one is around?”

“No,” Seokjin says, scrolling up on his phone. “You can kiss me now.”

Taehyung laughs in surprise. “Kim Seokjin, you are unpredictable.”

“Shh,” Seokjin mutters, leaning closer to the phone. “I am reading the climax part of the story.”

Taehyung finds a clearing to the side of the road and parks there.

Seokjin gets out and stretches his legs. “We’ll eat?”

“Your noona packed enough for four trips,” Taehyung says as he pulls out the packed lunch. He gives them to Seokjin and adds, “I’m going to that convenience store. Does baby want anything?”

Seokjin shakes his head. “You won’t eat? Why are you going? Do you want to buy anything?”

“I’ve to pee,” Taehyung replies with a smile. “Don’t you want to come? I am sure I’ve at least one fantasy of kissing you in a trashy bathroom.”

That gets Seokjin’s attention. He throws a chocolate bar that Taehyung easily catches.

“Baby,” Taehyung laughs at him.

Seokjin stares at the ground and lifts his hand, palm spread towards Taehyung, who takes it into his.

Seokjin shakes his head a little and then, intertwines his pinky finger with Taehyung’s. He mumbles, “Come back soon.”

Taehyung exhales with a shudder. He nods and kisses his forehead.

He comes back to Seokjin leaning against the car, his eyebrows scrunched in concentration, still reading the webtoon.

Taehyung throws himself onto him and rests his head on his shoulder.

“Taehyung-ie,” Seokjin wails, trying to push him off with his elbow. “Last chapter!”

Taehyung hums. He starts to kiss him on his neck and moves to his jaw.

“Ro – road,” Seokjin says but giggles. “Tick – ticklish.”

Taehyung licks his cheek and that has Seokjin giggling even more. He goes on to pepper kisses on his forehead and his nose, and then on his lips.

He pulls him closer, feeling his heartbeat against his chest. He pushes his lips against Seokjin’s supple ones, tasting the lingering taste of chocolate. He lets his tongue in when Seokjin lets out a moan.

He breaks the kiss to breathe and to make sure that Seokjin made that heavenly sound.

“I don’t – “ Seokjin starts, his eyes unfocussed, his teeth digging into his lower lip. “I don’t know – “

“Uh,” Taehyung replies trying to collect his bearings. “You – uh what?”

“I don’t know how to – Tae – “ Seokjin starts to chew on his bitten lip. He mumbles rapidly, “I don’t know how to kiss. Like – where does my tongue go? Am I supposed to be doing something? Am I doing it wrong – “

Taehyung stomps his feet and punches the car’s hood behind Seokjin.

“Just let me eat you,” Taehyung groans before he kisses him, dragging his lower lip between his teeth. “I’ll teach you everything. Don’t worry, baby.”

A car passes by hollering and whistling at them.

Seokjin hides his blushing face into Taehyung’s neck.

“Get into the car,” Taehyung says.

Seokjin nods solemnly and replies, “I’ll learn.”

They sit in the backseat because it’s more comfortable.

Seokjin sits obediently. A notebook and a pen is all that is missing to complete the picture.

Taehyung pulls him towards him by his thigh. He says softly, “This isn’t theory, baby. We’ll do a practical class.”

He holds his nape and leans in closer. He says, “Tilt your head so that our noses don’t bump.”

“I know that!” Seokjin snaps. “I watched it on screen!”

Taehyung chuckles low, “Okay, good. We’re doing fine – on a side note, your lips taste like heaven – “

Seokjin’s ears turn even redder if that’s possible. He tugs at one of his ear and nods once.

“ – You can hold my lower lip between yours – not too hard. You can run your tongue over my lower lip, okay? I – “

“You did that!” Seokjin says, eyes bright. “This morning, you did that – “

“Felt good?”

Seokjin closes his eyes and nods.

Taehyung does what he explained. He bites his lower lip and runs his tongue over as if to soothe it.

“Part your – oh – “ Taehyung stops.

Seokjin already parts his mouth, allowing Taehyung to slide his tongue into his mouth.

“Here,” Seokjin separates, eyes cast away. “I don’t know – “

Taehyung wraps his hand around Seokjin and smiles, “You do what I did, yea? You are thinking too much. Don’t worry about the tongues.”

“You don’t get punished for getting it wrong, baby. I’ll help,” he adds looking at the worry on other’s face.

Seokjin nods once. He holds Taehyung’s cheeks in his hands and starts off slow. He waits for Taehyung to part his lips before he kisses them, runs his tongue and then he stops.

“Sloppy – “ Seokjin whines. “It’s all – “

“ – dizzy. I feel dizzy,” Taehyung huffs. “You don’t have to open your mouth too wide. Just a little – enough to hold my lips, yea? We’ll try again. You are worrying too much about the tongue – don’t.”

Seokjin tries again, he moves closer, goes mechanically through each step and then stops right after licking Taehyung’s lower lip.

“I’m not good at it,” he mumbles. “Should I – “

“Do you like me?” Taehyung asks sternly.

Seokjin nods eagerly.

“Do you want to kiss me?” he asks again.

Seokjin nods shyly.

“Forget about the steps – “

“But – “

“Just kiss me because you want to,” Taehyung says, dragging him towards his face. “Kiss me because you like it.”

“You’ve to first look at me for that,” he teases.

Seokjin smiles and looks at him. He thinks of all the times he’s been with Taehyung, of the first time Taehyung pecked him in the library, of the time Taehyung held him in his arms, of the nights he wanted to be only in his arms, of the time at Taehyung’s secret lake, of the time he stubbornly tried to save him, of the time he made him laugh, of the time at the records room, of their time in the pool in the woods, of two nights ago when they almost kissed, of last night when he finally kissed Taehyung.

Of the way, no matter what, Taehyung stayed.

Seokjin pulls him in rather fiercely. He kind of follows those steps, but he is not meticulous, and it doesn’t matter. He just kisses him, takes his lips between his own, bites on them, pushes them apart to slide his tongue in, and kisses him breathless.

Taehyung whips his head away to take in a deep breath before they start to kiss again.

Seokjin moves from the car’s seat, onto Taehyung’s lap. He settles with his legs folded on either side of Taehyung.

Taehyung has one hand around his perfectly tiny waist, and the other on his thigh. He hugs him closer, and they kiss hungrily.

Seokjin unconsciously grinds his hips over Taehyung’s crotch.

Taehyung chases the drops of sweat on Seokjin’s cheek to his neck and bites him.

Seokjin throws his head back while letting out a mellifluous moan.

“Fuck,” Taehyung spits. “Baby, you’ve to – “

“Sorry,” Seokjin mutters, afraid he overdid it. “I didn’t – “

Taehyung slowly pushes Seokjin off his lap and onto the seat. He kisses him softly, “Don’t be sorry. You just – don’t – wait – “

He adjusts his pants and watches the blood rush to Seokjin’s face, making him look like a strawberry.

He laughs, “Kisses have consequences. Especially yours. Don’t be sorry.”

“Did I do – Did I get better?” Seokjin asks, with his face in his palms.

Taehyung hugs him by the side, “You exceeded expectations and did this to me.”

“I didn’t mean to – “ Seokjin apologizes. “I am sorr – “

“Hpmh, baby,” Taehyung pecks his cheek. He shows his ringing phone to Seokjin. “Your Joon-ssi either has no time sense or is spying on us. I’ll take his call and be back? He left around three million messages.”

Seokjin twitters and nods.

Taehyung steps out, and dials back to Namjoon.

“Yea?” he asks.

“Where are you?” Namjoon asks.

“On the way back – umm – will reach in about 2 hours,” Taehyung says. “Is this why you – “

“Where’s Jin?” Namjoon asks.

Taehyung can hear the clicks of the keyboard. “With me. Why?”

There’s silence and Taehyung checks his phone to make sure the call didn’t get cut.

“Hello?” he says.

“Sorry, sorry,” Namjoon huffs. “Umm – so, I got news. Remember Maskell?”

Taehyung straightens, “What is it, Joon?”

Namjoon sighs, “He escaped.”

Anger boils in his chest. “Look, this is why – “

“Yeah, I am sorry. I know. We had the best lawyers on the case. But they had to let him go. The jury – “ Namjoon groans. “I am sorry. I had to let you know first.”

“Fine,” Taehyung grunts. “We can still take him out.”

“No. This is why I called you. Tae, you aren’t going to do anything like that. We talked about his. That would be just murder,” Namjoon argues. “We can still fight this.”

“Alright,” Taehyung relents. “Is this all? Because – “

“No,” Namjoon says quickly and then pauses. “Tae. Two more things. One is not important but Yoongi wanted to let Jin know so that it wouldn’t be a surprise for him.”

“Go on,” Taehyung replies.

“Apparently, a kid used to live – not a kid really – your age probably. Anyway, he used to live in the house above Jin and Yoongi’s. He passed away – “

“ – what’s it to do with us?” Taehyung asks, frustrated.

“ – yeah. I don’t know. Yoongi just told Seokjin has always worried about the kid so, ya know?” Namjoon sighs.

Taehyung nods. Seokjin has a flaw of caring about everything so, yeah. He knows. “The other thing?” he asks impatiently.

“It’s about mum,” Namjoon drops the bomb at once.

“She’s back?” Taehyung says and doesn’t care if he sounds like a child on Christmas morning.

“No. But I found her journal and Tae – I know both of us have been secretly trying to find her, but this is going to be helpful,” Namjoon says. “Umm – there’s a track of her cases – cases we’ve never heard of before. If we find a trail of them – “

“ – we’ll know where she is,” Taehyung completes.

“ – yeah, or what went wrong and where,” Namjoon provides an alternate ending.

Taehyung curses, “Joon. Can you not say that?”

“Yea, I am sorry, but we haven’t heard from her in very long, Tae. Be practical,” Namjoon says dully.

“Right. Practical,” Taehyung rasps.

“Yeah. Don’t do anything rash, Tae. Promise me,” Namjoon sternly says.

Taehyung exhales loudly, “Yea. Fine.”

“Good.”

“Bye.”

….

Seokjin waits for a good thirty minutes before he squeezes Taehyung’s hand.

“Uh,” Taehyung snaps back to the present. Ever since the call, Taehyung can’t help thinking if this time, he can actually find his mum. “Need anything?” he asks.

“Does it hurt a lot?” Seokjin asks timidly. “You have been quite silent.”

Taehyung frowns. “What hurts?”

“That,” Seokjin mumbles, squeezing Taehyung’s hand harder. “I’m sorry.”

Taehyung risks taking his eyes off the road and glances at Seokjin. “Baby – “

Seokjin stares at his feet, unwilling to look back.

“Oh,” Taehyung realizes. “Oh, baby. No. It’s not – wait. Why do you think it hurts?”

“Umm,” Seokjin fumbles. He twists his hands nervously and says, “Sometimes, it becomes darker and then it hurts if you don’t do anything. So, you’ve to – “

“And, you know that how?” Taehyung mutters low.

“Because I am 23 and not 13!” Seokjin retorts, embarrassed.

“Fuck,” Taehyung curses. He fights against his own imagination to not conjure up the scene of Seokjin sweaty and breathy, just jerking himself off. “Seokjin. God – never have these conversations with me when I’m driving. You are making it hard for me – literally.”

Seokjin whimpers.

Taehyung chuckles, “Tell me more, baby. What else do you know?”

“Noth – nothing,” he replies. “If it isn’t hurting then why have you been so angry? Did Joon-ssi say something?”

Despite what Namjoon said, Taehyung smiles. For the past two hours, he’d been so moody, shuffling his thoughts, ruminating over what has happened and what will happen, that he didn’t consider telling it all to Seokjin. Now, a two-minute conversation with him has Taehyung feeling all chirpy and light.

“Nothing good,” he says. “Do you know the kid who lives in the house above yours?”

Seokjin nods, “I heard him sing a lot of times. But he doesn’t live there. He lives at the college dorm.”

“Oh,” Taehyung waits. He doesn’t know how to tell him. Quick and fast, maybe? He says, “Umm. Baby, he passed away.”

There’s silence and Taehyung has to look at Seokjin to ensure he is okay.

Seokjin’s face is contorted in confusion. He shakes his head, “No.”

“Yea, I know that’s sad. Joon said he was our age or maybe a little younger – “

“No,” Seokjin repeats. “He didn’t.”

Taehyung stays silent for a few minutes, thinks carefully about his words. Instead of arguing with him, he asks, “Why do you say so?”

“I didn’t see him,” Seokjin frowns. “It’s – It doesn’t feel right. I don’t know.”

“You didn’t see him?” Taehyung asks, remembering that Seokjin does see the dead. “You mean the way you see people who die?”

“Or dead,” Seokjin mumbles. “I don’t see everyone. They choose to show up, maybe? I don’t know. It – no. Is Joon-ssi sure?”

Taehyung pets his hair, and tucks some behind his ear. He says, “It is okay. We’ll find out.”

“You - you believe me,” Seokjin shivers. “You don’t think I’m a – a freak? I shouldn’t – should not be seeing the dead.”

“We’ll find out why, alright? Baby, you do nothing wrong,” Taehyung assuages. “Also, I think you are cute – “

“ – oh”

“ – and sexy – “

Taehyung gets a loud smack on his head. But he only laughs.

As they reach Seokjin’s house, Seokjin says, “Don’t tell Yoongi about us, okay? I’ll tell him first.”

“Okay,” Taehyung replies. He wasn’t anyway going to break the news to Yoongi. There’s a good chance that guy would stab him. “If you need something, call. Don’t overthink.”

He parks the car, helps Seokjin with his bag, steals a quick kiss and receives a light slap from Seokjin.

“Bye,” he says at the door.

“Ok. Bye,” Seokjin replies.

“Bye,” Taehyung says again, not going anywhere.

“Go,” Seokjin smiles. “Shoo.”

“You’ll call if you need anything?” Taehyung asks as he fingers through Seokjin’s bangs.

Seokjin nods dutifully.

Taehyung smiles and rubs his blush pink cheek with the back of his palm.

“I don’t like you, Seokjin,” Taehyung mutters, his eyes glazed. “You make me feel all these things that I never wanted to feel.”

Seokjin pouts.

Taehyung grins and taps under his chin. “Bye,” he says and finally turns around to leave.

“Tae – “

“Hm?” Taehyung turns back.

Seokjin holds his wrist and tilts his head in perfect motion to kiss him, followed by one swift use of his teeth and tongue.

He then steps back into the house and smiles proudly. “Bye,” he says and shuts the door.

Taehyung knows, feels it in every cell of his being that is a goner and there’s no turning back.

….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello. 🎈
> 
> Seokjin's such a comfort. The other night I fell asleep only because I kept listening to Abyss on a loop (it kept playing for 5 hours until I woke up).  
> I am so blessed to have BTS in my life.  
> I won't be able to update for at least another two weeks. I am busy busy. Sorry to keep you waiting.
> 
> Love, love. ❤


	23. S1 – Who is missing whom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Relationships start to develop.

The thing about winter is that it passes slowly, leaving behind nothing but footprints in the snow.

The thing about footprints in the snow is that they vanish quickly, leaving behind nothing.

Namjoon hates the winter. He thinks, has always thought, that the cold gets the worst out of the people (or monsters). He has more cases than he’s had through out the year. Stray vampire nests, ghosts of the past, Bloody Mary (Namjoon actually complained to the ghost before he destroyed it), even the accidentally summoned spirits seem to think of winter as their vacation out in the human world.

All those cases are so mundane, so easy that he almost decides against documenting them. But they might be useful later so he grudgingly sits down to type out as many details as he can recollect. He uploads each case to their archives. He hovers over Maskell’s case for a few seconds before he marks it as ‘Closed’.

But in reality it is far from close. The jury voted for Maskell, letting him go until more evidence could be gathered. All the effort that Seokjin put in went down the drain just that fast. Maskell was let off on the loophole of him being senile – _borderline_ senile. He will be moved to a housing provided by the Archdiocese until the next hearing or the next accusation, whichever comes first.

He knows Taehyung wouldn’t blame him, but he blames himself. Maybe more evidence? Maybe more accusers? Maybe better lawyers? He isn’t sure what he had to do more, but he blames himself. He hopes that Taehyung would have broken the news to Seokjin because he cannot physically watch the lights go out on Seokjin’s face.

Now, Seokjin himself is a whole other story for Namjoon. He is probably garnering a crush on him – he hopes so at least. He hopes it is a fleeting crush because he cannot afford to be in love – _finally_ be in love – with someone he has no chance with, with someone his very own brother is undoubtedly in love with, with someone who sees him as nothing more than a therapist.

For a brief second, he wonders if the ‘Transference Theory’ is a farce. He immediately chuckles though, because he knows the number of clients that have confessed to being in love with him. But as fate has it, the transference theory fails the only time he selfishly wishes for it to work.

He shakes away these feelings and instead tries to focus on the many pending cases. The red book on the edge of the table glares at him, the golden ink on it seems to belittle him while the little signature on its inside waits for him to decode the code, if any.

If any.

He’s had the first fight with Taehyung already over this. Taehyung stubbornly believes that their mother must’ve left the journal behind to be found and that it would help them find her. But there’s a wide chance that she must have left it just because that’s the kind of things Kim Soomin does.

So far, the cases from her journal led them to nowhere. There were still a lot pending to uncover but Namjoon is drowning in his own cases so much so that he had to ask Taehyung as soon as he was back from the trip to take a couple of days off from college to help him.

Taehyung did – he was always ready to help him. They came back only this morning and Namjoon fully expects him to sleep in and skip college.

Which is why he is surprised to see Taehyung running down the stairs, buttoning his flannel as he chomped on a leftover hotdog.

“Are you okay?” Namjoon asks, pushing his laptop back onto the couch.

Taehyung swallows down his breakfast and nods, “Off to college.”

“Yeah, that’s precisely why I asked if you are okay,” Namjoon says. Then, “Is it Mia? Oh, your trouble gang is back again.”

Taehyung pauses, his left cheek a bulge due to the large piece of bread that he is chewing. He chews faster and shakes his head. “Maybe next week? I’m not sure when they’ll be back.”

Namjoon waits because what else can have Kim Taehyung out of his bed despite a tiresome hunt.

“I’ve to study, Joon,” Taehyung tries, the reason sounding weak to him too.

“Yea, sure,” Namjoon rolls his eyes. He gently gasps when he sees (or hallucinates) a little blush on Taehyung’s face.

“I’ll be late,” Taehyung says rushing out, his mismatched eyes definitely avoiding Namjoon’s.

Namjoon nods, turns back to his laptop, and belatedly realizes that something must’ve happened on Taehyung’s trip with Seokjin – something that has changed Taehyung and is bound to change a lot more.

….

Taehyung should’ve known that Seokjin doesn’t do ‘late’. He is the punctual school kid to be in class a few good minutes early just for the sake of it. So, he should’ve known that Seokjin wouldn’t be patiently waiting at the campus for him.

But he hasn’t seen him in three days and god help him, he’s missed him more than he thought he could. Their phone calls have been an impossible ask, their texts a bare minimum and it has Taehyung walking towards Seokjin’s classroom despite it being well into class hours.

He looks for Seokjin, who is obediently settled in the first bench, taking notes like his life depends on it. Taehyung waits for him to look up, at least once, away from the presentation and at him. But Seokjin doesn’t.

He ponders for a good minute if it is okay to drag him out of the classroom and concludes that would make Seokjin hate him. For now, he registers Seokjin’s face and wishes that would get him through the day.

His classes drag on. His lunch break doesn’t coincide with Seokjin’s. Neither does Seokjin respond to his texts.

Only in the evening does Taehyung manage to rush to Seokjin’s class. This time Seokjin notices him – he has to.

Taehyung unabashedly stands at the door staring down at him, making the whole class notice him and exchange murmurs.

Seokjin moves in his seat, starts to chew on his lip, clearly worried that the professor might see this.

His fears come true almost immediately.

“Do you need something?” the professor asks, pausing the recap of their class.

Taehyung juts his chin in Seokjin’s direction, making him gasp and look at his book.

“Can’t you wait?” the professor says, clearly annoyed.

“I am,” Taehyung smiles politely. “I will wait here.”

“You are distracting the class,” the professor chides.

“If it takes only me to distract your students, the problem isn’t with me,” Taehyung replies turning his gaze back to Seokjin.

There is a wild hoot from a few students. Seokjin’s ears turn redder.

“Disrespectful,” the professor curses under his breath and continues his class.

Seokjin glances up just once but looks away quickly. He sees that the girl next to him isn’t looking at the professor nor is the guy next to her.

Nor are the ones in the row next to him.

They are all brazenly or bashfully looking at Taehyung.

The professor turns off the projector, points at Seokjin and says, “You need to handle your personal things outside of class, Seokjin.”

Seokjin blinks once.

As soon as the professor exits all the while throwing disgusted looks at Taehyung, the class disperses too (though a few of them hang back to see why Taehyung is here).

Seokjin hurriedly packs the books back into his bag.

Taehyung leans by the door, a little smile plastered to his face. The whole scene of Seokjin, pink in the face, angry and embarrassed, neatly aligning his books into his yellow unicorn bag warms him.

A few students settle around the desks waiting for the scene to unfurl while making their own guesses about it.

Seokjin can hear their whispers that were hardly whispers. It makes him even more angry. He slings his bag onto his shoulder and attempts to walk past Taehyung.

Taehyung chuckles and stops him by pulling him by his wrist. “Really, Jin?”

Seokjin glances back at his classmates who’ve let out a loud ‘ooh’.

“What did ya do, Jin? That you earned Taehyung’s wrath?” one of the guys asks, entirely amused.

Seokjin ignores him and tries in vain to loosen his hand from Taehyung’s grip. “Hurts,” he says.

Taehyung, worried, immediately let goes of his hand.

“Pabo,” Seokjin giggles and moves away from him.

It takes Taehyung a second and some more to fathom that Seokjin had him fooled.

The audience now follows them out into the corridor, more interested than before.

Taehyung frowns, his hands in his pockets, slowly walking towards the other. “Not funny,” he says.

Seokjin stops running away, his bread-cheek smile frozen. He can see his classmates smile vilely at him while a couple of them loudly bicker if Taehyung would punch him in his pretty face or in his gut, while another fawns over Taehyung.

Taehyung pays them no attention though he knows Seokjin is attentively listening to their words. He tries to make sure that his frown is still intact, his brows scrunched, and he is aware that every step of his is causing Seokjin’s smile to melt away.

“What’s funny?” Taehyung asks when he’s half a meter away from the other. “Don’t piss me off, Seokjin.”

Seokjin flinches at the last part. He doesn’t like when Taehyung uses his full name.

“You know – “ Taehyung starts and pauses as he squints his eyes. “There’s – there’s something on your head – a bug,” he says, gesturing at Seokjin’s hair.

Seokjin squeaks but Taehyung holds onto his hand and says, “Don’t move.”

Seokjin blinks. The classmates’ whispers die down.

Taehyung tiptoes a little, brushing his fingers against Seokjin’s bangs. “Here it is,” he murmurs.

Then, he kisses his forehead.

A collective gasp rings through the corridor, followed by someone’s burst of laughter.

Seokjin tries to take a step back but Taehyung is prepared. He pulls him close by his bag straps.

“Why aren’t you replying to my texts?” Taehyung mutters against his cheek.

“You – “ Seokjin gulps, his eyes fixated on the floor. “You – you left – “

“Had to,” Taehyung replies, his lips hovering over his cheek. “Joon wanted me to – “

“I know!” Seokjin says. Then, he takes a deep breath and begins, “You could’ve told me and left! You can’t leave without any notice. And then your phone was unreachable for an entire day. What was I supposed to think?”

Whispers renew in the background. The same guy from before mutters something akin to a homophobic slur.

Seokjin’s eyes widen anxiously. His eyes flit from them to Taehyung before he turns on his heels and leaves.

….

Taehyung had to deal with Seokjin’s beloved classmates before he could find Seokjin. It didn’t take much time but Seokjin seemed to have cocooned himself on the floor, next to the corner most shelf in the library.

Taehyung quietly sits next to him and waits.

“I was worried,” Seokjin mumbles.

Taehyung rests his head on his shoulder, “Yea, I see now. I have to – baby, I am used to just leaving at the drop of a hat. I’ll make – “

“I thought I killed you,” he whimpers.

Taehyung raises his head to see tears cascading down his cheeks. He understands why and sighs, “Nah, baby. I am alright, see?”

Seokjin nods and brushes his tears. “I didn’t know. Is your job – is it scary like it was with Anne? Do you get hurt?”

Taehyung smiles, “Yeah. But it is not fatal.”

“Is that all? Is baby angry about anything else?” he asks as he knocks Seokjin’s knees with his own.

“Don’t come to my classroom!” Seokjin chides. “The teacher is angry with me now. What if he doesn’t give me good grades in the assignment? I’ve a submission this week – “

“I’ll make him give you good grades,” Taehyung promises. “Best grades if you want.”

Seokjin harrumphs.

“Don’t you worry about your classmates too,” Taehyung smiles knowingly. “They shouldn’t bother you.”

“Why?” Seokjin asks cocking his head in confusion.

Taehyung shrugs while he links their fingers, relishing the feel of Seokjin’s soft skin against his rough one. “I’ll tell you something that I never said to anyone before.”

He pauses and links his arm with Seokjin’s. He tilts his head to leave a soft kiss on his neck. He says, his voice barely above a whisper, “I missed you.”

Seokjin blushes to his roots. He says, “You are so nice.”

Taehyung stops kissing his neck and laughs. “Hold onto that line. I sucker-punched that blond from your class.”

Seokjin frees himself, his mouth agape. “You – you what?”

“I hit him,” Taehyung yawns. “Don’t like anyone saying anything about my baby.”

“What if he – oh my god – did it hurt?” Seokjin asks moving closer, concern drowning his voice.

Taehyung shrugs, “His cheek was a little swollen but his – “ He gulps because Seokjin isn’t listening. Instead, he gently caresses Taehyung’s knuckles.

“Is this bruise because of that?” Seokjin asks, lips pouted, eyes focused.

“N – no. Uhh, a little thing on the hunt,” Taehyung says, aware of how fast his heart is thumping.

Seokjin’s shoulders slump. He says with fresh resilience, “I pray for your safety every night. I’ll pray harder.”

Taehyung can’t help himself. He cups Seokjin’s cheeks and kisses him softly. He bumps his forehead and chuckles, “You are my angel.”

He continues, “My dad always told me that Angels looked over us, kept us safe. You are mine, baby.”

Seokjin smiles like he doesn’t agree but he is happy.

He gets another peck from Taehyung, who asks him suggestively, “So? Should I drop you home? Or take you home tonight?”

“No, no. I can’t. I still have to submit my project proposals. I took up an additional assignment for more credits,” Seokjin replies picking his bag up. “Don’t you have to study? You missed three days.”

Taehyung stretches, “I am shit sleepy.” Yet he drags his chair and sits next to Seokjin.

In under ten minutes, he dozes off on the table. Seokjin has to wake him up, urging him to go home and sleep.

“You sure?” Taehyung asks, yawning incessantly. “Will Yoongi pick you up?”

Seokjin nods, “He’ll be here in an hour. Can you drive?”

“Or? Will you drop me home?” Taehyung teases.

“I’ll get my license soon!” Seokjin titters. “I will drive you around then!”

Taehyung pecks him on his cheek. “I’ll be fine. I am sure I can - ”

“ – Taehyung-ssi,” a girl hops towards them, her pretty beige dress lapping at her knees. She puts on a bright smile and says, “Hyungwon isn’t filing a complaint. I convinced him not to.”

“Oh,” Taehyung nods. “Cool.”

She pretends to push a strand of her hair behind her ear. She says, “If you ask me, I think he deserved that. What he said was uncalled for.”

“Yea,” Taehyung replies. “He deserved some more.”

The girl laughs more sweetly than necessary. She pushes the same strand again and says with half a smirk, “Nice tattoo. I’ll see you around.”

She whips her hair gently and leaves just as soon as she came.

“Who is she?” Seokjin asks, still watching her retreating form.

“Isn’t she your classmate?” Taehyung questions. “Anyway, you were in the middle of giving me a kiss.”

Seokjin shushes him. “No, I wasn’t.”

Taehyung frowns, his arms crossed.

Seokjin concedes and gives him a peck on the corner of his lips.

“Now, I’ll go and sleep for an hour or 35 days,” Taehyung stretches, trying and failing to be angry with Seokjin’s peck.

He picks his bag, turns to leave when he feels Seokjin tugging his shirt.

He turns back again.

Seokjin looks at him, his eyes big. He then proceeds to roll down Taehyung’s sleeves and buttons his cuffs. He also buttons up the only two undone ones of his shirt.

“Why – “

“It is cold. You’ll catch a cold,” Seokjin reasons, his face content that Taehyung’s now covered up. “Bye.”

Taehyung ruffles his hair and leaves.

Seokjin can feel something in the bottom of his stomach. Something he has never felt before. He can’t put a name to it, but he knows it has to be controlled.

….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year. :)
> 
> To all of you, who read my stories and appreciate them and leave comments and kudos, do know you are so loved. Do know that you make me so happy - you are the strokes of silver in my state of blue and grey.
> 
> Lots and lots of love. ❤

**Author's Note:**

> Please drop your comments. They are the fuel to my engine!  
> You can find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/freerantings). I literally rant there.
> 
> Love. ❤


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